New Orleans Begins Confiscating Firearms as Water Recedes

Ny Times ^ | September 8 | ALEX BERENSON and TIMOTHY WILLIAMS

[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.

[planekT]

Thanks. I wasn't sure if it was due to infection through open sores (which I do remember hearing about) or ingesting it.

I wonder why they drank it? Thirsty? did their mom not tell them to drink dirty water? WTF?

The mayor issued a don't drink the water thingy pretty early on as I recall. Maybe a few didn't get the message. Who knows.

[freepatriot32]

Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here

DO NOT EVER REGISTER YOUR GUNS PERIOD i dont care what the law says dont do it ever

[TERMINATTOR]

That proves he's a gun grabber. The NRA is the largest "gun control" group.

NRA>> "enforce existing gun laws". Duh! "Gun laws" are ILLEGAL under the Second Amendment!

See my tagline for more.

[Archangelsk]

Welcome America, welcome to your dictatorship.

For all you rationalizers out there, turn in your weapons and report to the nearest kolhoz (collective farm) afterall the motherland knows best, tovarisch (comrade).

[freepatriot32]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

List of Ping lists

[herewego]

Add me-
Know Firearms- know liberty
No Firearms- no liberty

[traviskicks]

Don't register firearms with the government. The one time you really need them (emergency) they will be taken away from you.

[neverdem]

Thanks for the ping.

[epow]

What registered guns? LA doesn't require guns to be registered. If the cops come around fishing for guns just hand them an old rusty H&R single barrel shotgun and say something like, " hey good job you guys are doing, we sure don't need folks running around with guns at a time like this".

I have a couple of old beaters I woudn't miss if it meant saving my good guns.

[herewego]

Amen-
registration leads to confiscation..

[traviskicks]

i dont care what the law says
---

I wish more Americans had that attitude. Yet such a statement (disobying the law) is unfortunately seen as too 'extreme' by some.

FYI:
http://www.neoperspectives.com/rhetoric.htm

[ARealMothersSonForever]

I do not totally proscribe to the Libertarian philosophy. My grandfather was an old school democrat. He taught me at a young age that:
1. Guns is always loaded.
2. Never point a gun (weapon) at anything or anybody that you do not intend to kill.
3. Never rely on a "safety". If in doubt, see #1 and #2.
I do proscribe to the concept that NO weapon should ever be "re-registered". All weapons that are commercially manufactured and legally imported into this country have a federal papertrail. There is not, to my knowledge, any prohibition upon an individual regarding intellectual property "samples" that will not be offered for commercial sale. If such a thing exists, we must prohibit the manufacture of all steel and brass :)

[PoorMuttly]

Ahem.

In the "Old" West, fellers pretty promptly figured out that if you wanted to be "safe" (armed for self defense) AND go to town and gamble and drink and carry on...you needed a badge.

[Oztrich Boy]

If they are still in NO then they are law breakers, lawbreakers should not be armed.

What law have they broken?

[herewego]

My upbringing among firearms was none the guvmints bizness.

[diogenes ghost]

We tried to get the point to you on the other thread, Jeff. Then AnnaZ got called a troll, JimRob slapped MineralMan around & the thread went to $hit.

[June Cleaver]

Are you certain it is the military? The police were saying they would do this, while the military has said they will not nor will they force people to leave. By law the active military cannot, and IF the NG is federalized (which I heard happened today but cannot confirm) it cannot either.

[Squantos]

I would suspect that your correct as usual as these folks have been doing it till the LEO's arrived to "save" them from themselves....etc etc .

Our leadership is nuts ain't it......

[Nov3]

If you remember, please ping me to it.

[herewego]

Everyone toted concealed, hence derringers and other very cocealable types of firearms.
The law knew it and had no problems with it.
Don't pull a bessailles here.