The NRA is coming to New Orleans tonight

[BOSSHOG]

Are they rolling up their sleeves and helping clean up the city? Are they putting on a fundraiser for the citizenry? Are they volunteering to work the election this Saturday? No to all of the above. They are coming to New Orleans to push the only part of the amendment they give a damn about, the second amendment. Guns were confiscated during the hours after the hurricane hit in August and the NRA is pissed. But confiscation of weapons is legal per the Louisiana State Constitution if an emergency is declared.

[Solon]

1. You know, I have no problem with the Second Amendment...

But the NRA are a bunch of freakin' reactionary right wing assholic psychos.

[eallen]

3. You said it just right.

[onehandle]

2. The NRA is simply a lobbying firm for the gun industry.

No one on K Street is coming to anyone's rescue. Why would the NRA?

[Ian David]

4. Is there a non-crazy gun group of any stature close to The NRA's?

[benEzra]

5. Er...no, the confiscations weren't legal under Louisiana law...

Louisana law at the time allowed for the regulation of the carrying of weapons under very strict circumstances if a particular set of procedures was followed. No such procedures were followed, and the Feds and deputized out-of-staters were barging into people's HOMES without search warrants, cuffing the occupants in the street, and ransacking their homes for guns. The officers doing that committed too many felonies to count.

A Federal judge issued a restraining order against the illegal confiscations and ordered the city to return the stolen guns, a move that was widely cheered here on DU if you were following the issue at the time. Louisiana is in the process of repealing the misunderstood statute in question:

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/capital/index.ssf?/base/news-3/114473745211400.xml
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x123757

Even if you don't particularly care for the Second Amendment, one would think you'd at least be concerned about the Fourth. Do you see a hurricane exemption clause to the Bill of Rights?

The view that the Bill of Rights can be suspended during an emergency is exactly the view of the Bush administration on the warrantless wiretap issue. I vehemently disagree with that view, and I certainly hope most DU'ers would as well--whether the excuse is terrorism or a hurricane.