"Not many" of guns confiscated in New Orleans have been returned
by Mary Foster, Associated Press April 17, 2006
Our comment: Here's New Orleans Deputy Police Chief Warren Riley, as quoted by Associated Press in the days immediately after New Orleans was flooded:
"No-one will be able to be armed. We are going to take all the weapons."
And here's Warren Riley months later -- he's now the police chief -- denying that people had their guns confiscated after New Orleans was flooded:
"If we took a gun from you and you were walking down the street, you went to jail. We took guns that were in homes. We took guns that were stolen that were stashed in alleyways. If we went into an abandoned house and a gun was there, absolutely we took the weapons. Obviously there were looters out there. We didn't want some burglar or looter to have an opportunity to arm themselves."
Well, hey -- I sure like the current quote from Warren Riley better than the 2005 quote from Warren Riley, but you have to wonder which Warren Riley you'll encounter in an emergency.
We believe, like the Constitution believes, that people have a right to bear arms. The phrase "well-regulated" doesn't mean guns can be confiscated from law-abiding citizens when guns are most likely to be needed. The police chief should be fired, the city should be sued, and the Bill of Rights should be in effect in America.
A handful of people showed up Monday to try to get back guns confiscated by the New Orleans Police Department after Hurricane Katrina -- and not many of those walked away with a weapon.
"They told me the police took them the first two weeks after the hurricane, after that it was the ATF," said Charles Clark, 62, a retired law officer, who had an antique gun taken from his house after the Aug. 29 storm. "It's very frustrating. I know we had a storm and all, but there should be a way to find out who has your property."
Police, national guardsmen and military removed guns from houses during a search after the storm flooded the city, and they confiscated guns from some evacuees -- leading to a lawsuit by gun-owner advocates including the National Rifle Association.
"Natural disasters may destroy great cities, but they do not destroy civil rights," said Alan Gottlieb, founder of Second Amendment Foundation, which joined the NRA in the suit.
Chief Warren Riley denied on Monday that his officers indulged in mass confiscations after the hurricane.
"If we took a gun from you and you were walking down the street, you went to jail," Riley said. "We took guns that were in homes. We took guns that were stolen that were stashed in alleyways. If we went into an abandoned house and a gun was there, absolutely we took the weapons. Obviously there were looters out there. We didn't want some burglar or looter to have an opportunity to arm themselves."
About 700 weapons were made available to owners beginning on Monday.
Those seeking a weapon must bring either a bill of sale or an affidavit with the weapon's serial number. Police also are running a criminal background check on anyone claiming a weapon.
The NRA, meanwhile, was not ready to let the matter rest. The organization scheduled a Tuesday "town meeting" to discuss the issue.
Percy Taplet, 73, said the national guard and state police confiscated his shotgun from his house when they evacuated him. He said he kept it for protection at his house and adjoining business.
Police told him he would have to contact state police about the weapon.
"I won't ever see that gun again, believe me," Taplet said.
"It's gone like everything else in that storm."
Although a few people emerged from the police trailer with their weapons, many others were turned away.
Some found the guns were evidence in a crime and were not eligible for release. Others did not have the proper paperwork to get their guns. And for some the work of tracking down their weapons was just beginning.
Robert Evans, 40, was trying to get the Ruger P90, semiautomatic hand gun his wife surrendered to ATF agents at the New Orleans airport.
"The agent gave her a business card, but he never answers his phone," Evans said.
He came out without his gun but with a couple of new phone numbers.
"That's OK," Evans said. "Those were confusing times. I'm not mad, just trying to get my property back."
I'm not an expert on search and rescue or military operations, but it just seems to me, people who haven't had food and water for five or six days could be quelled with food and water, instead of "combat operations."
The police commander came across the street to address our group.
He told us we should walk to the Pontchartrain Expressway and cross the greater New Orleans Bridge where the police had buses lined up to take us out of the City.
The crowed cheered and began to move.
We called everyone back and explained to the commander that there had been lots of misinformation and wrong information and was he sure that there were buses waiting for us.
The commander turned to the crowd and stated emphatically, "I swear to you that the buses are there."
* * *
As we approached the bridge, armed Gretna sheriffs formed a line across the foot of the bridge.
Before we were close enough to speak, they began firing their weapons over our heads. This sent the crowd fleeing in various directions.
As the crowd scattered and dissipated, a few of us inched forward and managed to engage some of the sheriffs in conversation.
We told them of our conversation with the police commander and of the commander's assurances.
The sheriffs informed us there were no buses waiting.
The commander had lied to us to get us to move.
We questioned why we couldn't cross the bridge anyway, especially as there was little traffic on the 6-lane highway.
They responded that the West Bank was not going to become New Orleans and there would be no Superdomes in their City.
These were code words for if you are poor and black, you are not crossing the Mississippi River and you were not getting out of New Orleans.
