New Orleans Mayor Admits Illegal Gun Confiscation National Rifle Association of America October 14, 2008 Fairfax, VA-After a three-year legal battle over the unconstitutional confiscation of lawfully owned firearms, the City of New Orleans has agreed to settle a law suit by the National Rifle Association (NRA). A permanent injunction has been issued against the city, Mayor Ray Nagin and current Police Chief Warren Riley. The Second Amendment Foundation assisted NRA in the legal battle against Mayor Ray Nagin and the City of New Orleans. âTodayâs outcome is an important victory for the citizens of New Orleans and the Second Amendment,â said Wayne LaPierre, NRAâs executive vice president. âWe fought for three long years in a fundamental legal challenge to assert the inherent self-defense rights for law-abiding citizens, knowing the Constitution would prevail. Today it has prevailed and freedom has won.â Judge Carl J. Barbier presided over the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Judge Barbier signed the permanent injuncation against the City of New Orleans. The city admitted the firearm confiscations carried out by Nagin and Riley were unconstitutional and illegal. Under the terms of the injunction, Mayor Ray Nagin, Police Chief Warren Riley and any agents or employees of the City of New Orleans shall: · cease and desist confiscating lawfully-possessed firearms from all citizens; · make an aggressive attempt to return any and all firearms which may have been confiscated during the period August 29 to December 31, 2005; · within one month of the settlement, post on the City website the procedure for the return of confiscated firearms. This notice must include an interactive form for those claiming firearms to fill out, resulting in timely transmission of the information to the appropriate official. All other information on claiming a firearm will also be included on the site. · within one month of the settlement, the City must mail notices to all individuals who are identified on the property tags of firearms in the Cityâs possession which were confiscated during the aftermath of Katrina. âOn behalf of the lawful gun owners of New Orleans, NRA is pleased with this outcome,â said Chris W. Cox, NRAâs chief lobbyist. âWe thank Judge Barbier for his leadership and constitutional scholarship in presiding over our lawsuit. NRA will continue to aid however we can in the full return of all the firearms confiscated by the City.â INFOWARS
It seems to me this wasn't much of a victory. The city agreed to do what they had to do anyway: give back illegally seized weapons. No money damages, not even sure the plaintiffs got their attorney fees paid. If the ACLU had been suing them, the city would have been forced to agree to hire oneof their front groups at millions of dollars to "train" the police on respecting the Second Amendment, plus they would have had to pay million sin attorneys' fees/extortion. They got off cheap.
I didn't trust the NRA's version of events in this outcome, just like I didn't trust their thinly disguised propaganda films post-Katrina about cops running wild beating people and stealing their guns. The New Orleans city attorney expressley stated that there was no illegal gun confiscation. And the NRA never proved that there was. And that's why there is no penalty for the city to pay. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081008/ap_on_re_us/katrina_confiscated_guns_2
Hmmmm gun rights is just about the only subject I agree with the republicans right now. Remember..... with out the 2nd Ammendment, there would be no 1st Ammendment, 3rd, 4th ....... etc
============================ Good points,l- duckling. I also agree , with Gov Sarah hunting big deer [moose in her case]. And as IBD notes recently, Gov Sarah helping stop the Iranian long term ATTEMPT to corner or control the natural gas market. At least the guns are ordered to be returned as first poster wrote; & don't know the current police chief, but he is not the chief that was leading the illegal gun grab, during the killer hurricane .