Posted on 09/08/2005 3:40:23 PM PDT by RDTF
Waters were receding across this flood-beaten city today as police officers began confiscating weapons, including legally registered firearms, from civilians in preparation for a mass forced evacuation of the residents still living here.
No civilians in New Orleans will be allowed to carry pistols, shotguns, or other firearms, said P. Edwin Compass, the superintendent of police. "Only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons," he said.
But that order apparently does not apply to the hundreds of security guards whom businesses and some wealthy individuals have hired to protect their property. The guards, who are civilians working for private security firms like Blackwater, are openly carrying M-16's and other assault rifles. Mr. Compass said he was aware of the private guards, but that the police had no plans to make them give up their weapons.
Nearly two weeks after the floods began, New Orleans has turned into an armed camp, patrolled by thousands of local, state, and federal law enforcement officers, as well as National Guard troops and active-duty soldiers. While armed looters roamed unchecked last week, the city is now calm. No arrests were made on Wednesday night or this morning, and police received only 10 calls for service, a police spokesman said.
The city's slow recovery is continuing on other fronts as well, local officials said at a press conference late this morning. Pumping stations are now operating across much of the city, and many taps and fire hydrants have water pressure. Also, tests have shown no evidence of cholera or other dangerous diseases in flooded areas, though health officials have said the waters contain levels of E. coli bacteria and lead 10 times higher than what is considered safe.
Efforts to recover corpses have also started, although only a handful of bodies have been recovered so far.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Let's see how this plays out. For all we know, someone may be screwing up (again!). It is a confusing situation there, and mistakes can and will happen. I am sure that if someone in whatever chain of command overstepped their bounds, they will get smacked. One thing I would want to know would be are there extenuating circumstances. Are *all* legally owned guns truly being taken? Are the people being approached supposed to even be there? We need all the facts before rendering judgement.
"Refill your meds."
The bottle is full, I just don't bother to take them. ;-) Seriously, I hope you know that I was joking. New Oreleans is way too obvious a place for ol' Scratch to take up residence. I prophesy that he'll will position himself somewhere in Newport Beach, CA. Of course, that is contingent upon real estate prices coming down a bit and also whether he can get a good home loan. These days even Beelzebuub has to watch the purse strings.
There are stories out there of civilians protecting their property without the help of a government goon squad. I'm sure these leftist twits in NO are all in a panic that firearms are doing exactly what they were intended to do.
Do they have running water and power?
It just seemed to me you were confident that this was a legal action, when in fact there is no proof that Martial Law is in effect, or even if it could be used.
I probably read more into your post than was there. If so, I apologize.
We've had hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and all that before.
But have we ever before forced people out of their homes and taken their firearms because of it?
Not to my knowledge. Something has changed, and changed for the worse.
The leftist gun grabbers finally have some good news. Probably a lot of chest thumping and drooling over at DU over this.
You're absolutely right. We'll see. If it's happening, it better stop damn quicklike, and civil-liberties prosecutions ensue.
I resemble that remark. I plan on buying several in the near future.
...and, if they stayed (which I probably would not have done) and were not damaged...they have every right to protect their property.
If the authorities had a lick of common sense, they would enlist such law abiding people in such not badly impacted areas to form armed "neighborhood watches" for the duration of the emergency, thus freeing up more of their own resources.
But...common sense seems to have fled with the wind in such instances.
" -- FWIW, Billybob, arrording to FNC's Judge Napolitano, that's only legal if the authorities can prove the folks inside are actually a health hazard. If I understood the judge correctly :)
194 mewzilla
You DO understand Judge Napolitano correctly. That's what he said, and meant.
In this instance the good judge is wrong. He also has some errors in his book on constitutional law.
You think a judge is "wrong" for insisting that authorities must demonstrate that folks are actually subject to a "health hazard" before ordering them out of their homes? Judges are bound by oath to defend our Constitutions rule of law. Napolitano is doing just that. What are you doing?
He's a bright guy, and speaks well. But he ain't no scholar on the history and details of the Constitution, from 1787 to 2005. Nor has he practiced in the Supreme Court, as I have for 32 years.
So, not only do I sometimes disagree with the judge, I feel I have at least an equal claim to have the ideas down correctly. That don't mean I'm always right. LOL. John / Billybob
Hubris goeth before a fall.
I just realized I need to go out and buy more guns!
Not sure. But there was a thread about a NO resident begging MSNBC to come to their neighborhood to show the world that there are parts of NO that are safe and passable for the residents.
bump for later read, Jeff.
"We've had hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and all that before. But have we ever before forced people out of their homes and taken their firearms because of it? "
Here in Oregon we've had to evacuate several times due to big forest fires burning down houses, and they never started confiscating guns.
Of course, if they had, there'd be a lot of shooting that would ensue, I suspect...
Ed
That Parrot is dead.
Bump for tomorrow.
They can declare martial law till the cows come home. I will NEVER give them the one tool guaranteed to protect and give my family a fighting chance from trash and goons.
I read an article here earlier today about an area of NO where they do have both running water & power.
Have we always had running water and power? There's generators and bottled water.
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