NYT: New Orleans Begins Confiscating Firearms as Water Recedes

[October]

September 8, 2005

New Orleans Begins Confiscating Firearms as Water Recedes

By ALEX BERENSON and TIMOTHY WILLIAMS

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 8 - 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 III, the superintendent of police. "Only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons," he said.

But that order apparently does not apply to hundreds of security guards hired by businesses and some wealthy individuals to protect property. The guards, employees of private security companies like Blackwater, openly carry M-16's and other assault rifles. Mr. Compass said that 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 the police received only 10 calls for service, a police spokesman said.

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I've never posted here before...but didn't see this shocking story anywhere else. It seems to mysteriously disappeared from the NY Times website too. Did anyone else see this? It was on the front page of the Times' website.

Edited to fix subject line. Sorry.

[NEDem]

1. If true, I wonder what the NRA will have to say about it...

[marbuc]

2. The freepers are yelling about it

"from my cold dead hands" is a common refrain over there. Of course, the locals are to blame for it.

[October]

3. I know! Where's the NRA now?

OH, I forgot...they're in Bush's pocket...

[klyon]

6. me too

a call for lawlessness possibly?

KL

[Kagemusha]

4. I'd like an explanation of what laws this is under.

It seems blatantly unconstitutional on its face. I still haven't heard how they can enforce mandatory evacuations here when they can't before hurricanes hit.

[bemildred]

5. Tsk tsk. Now, you are trying to be logical and reason about this.

That is always a mistake. You are just supposed to follow the
script and read your lines like everyone else in the cast.
What was said last week does not matter, only this weeks' spin
matters.