[DirtyBrad]

Sorry if this is stupid, but I was just reading about the NRA working out the return of the firearms siezed in New Orleans and have a question.

Everyone always makes a big deal about guns not being registered, etc. I've always assumed that, whatever the official policy, the cops can easily find out who owns what. If I throw my pistol out the car window and the cops find it, it's not like they won't be able to trace it immediately back to me, right? If they can, I'd assume that, before they head over to my house, they can find out how many guns I have, what kind, serial numbers, etc. I live in Maryland, but assume this is the case everywhere.

Is that what happened in New Orleans? Did cops show up at houses with lists and numbers or did they just know that you had some guns or what?

I'm not someone claiming they'll shoot the cops in that situation, but I wonder what my recourse would be in the same situation.

[sturmruger]

In most states the police have to trace a gun back from the manufacturer to the person it was first sold to. For instance I bought a Springfield XD brand new from a local dealer. The police would contact Springfield who would tell them what distributor it was sold to, who would then tell them what dealer he sent it to. Then the dealer would look in his book and look up the serial number and then give them my name. What complicates things for the police here in WI is if I buy a gun from some guy at a gun show I don't have to know his name or even where he is from. I will usually ask if the gun is stolen, and then give him the cash if he answers "NO".

There are states where your serial number in registered. If I remember correctly MI does a safety inspection which is a defacto gun registration. I do not know the laws of MD, butr here in WI we don't have any guns that are "registered". Anytime people ask if my gun is registered I always say "ya I registered for the warranty when I bought it." They get a curious look on their face and then move on to a differant subject.

[progunner1957]

This registration crap has got to stop. The only reason for guns to be registered is to make it easier for "The Government" to confiscate them some day.

As the saying goes: Gun control isn't about guns - it's about control.

[K-Romulus]

Since 1994 or whatever, the MSP has been registering handgun transfers in MD. Any sale before then only has (1) the FFL paperwork, or (2) nothing.

Anyone moving into MD with a non-banned handgun has zero paperwork on file with the MSP (or even if they do move in with a banned "assault pistol," FWIW :rolleyes: )

Believe it or not, MD is in the minority of states with handgun registration. In VA, I could legally buy a handgun out of some person's flea market stall with no paperwork, waiting period, etc.

And don't forget, MD has no long gun registration for non-"regulated firearms." The MSP has no idea who owns Rem. 870's in MD unless the owners voluntarily registered them with MSP.

[mp510]

In Connecticut, there was a proposal to put a little symbol on your driver's license if you owned a gun, but the bill it was attached to quashed.

Here whenever you buy a gun from a dealer, anybody at a gunshow, or a pistol friom a private person, you get to fill out the whole paperwork set (1x DPS-67c, 4x DPS-3) and background check, with 1 copy of the DPS-3 going to your local police chief, 1 to the seller, 1 to buyer, and one to the DPS (state PD). That form as all the buyers andsellers info on it, as well the gun's.

When a bunch of cops show up because you reported a suspicous person, when 1 or 2 should be enough, it's pretty obvious what info pops up on their screen...

[thumbody]

If I remember correctly MI does a safety inspection which is a defacto gun registration.

Michigan has this for handguns but not long guns.

[Manedwolf]

Yet another reason to get a C&R. :D

SKSs are C&R. So are older. but still affordeable 1911s like the Colt Sistemas. And thousands of strong, powerful and reliable revolvers, of course.
Lots of good "fighting off looters" stuff is C&R.

And that's not really the same as a "state" registry, is it? I doubt that BATF is going to be wandering around after a hurricane, demanding to see peoples' bound books...

[DirtyBrad]

So, what happened in NO? Did they have registered guns and that's how they confiscated them or was there some other mechanism in play?

Also, those of you who live in states with no kind of registration, do you feel confident that guns you bought new and had to fill out paperwork on aren't on a list somewhere out there?

I have an 870 myself, actually. To get it, I had to fill out miles of paperwork and have a background check called in. I'm pretty confident that, no matter what the laws might be, if that gun was found at a crime scene, I'd be getting a knock on my door.

[hvengel]

They went door to door. They were not working off of a list.

[DirtyBrad]

Really? That seems insane. They must have only been able to cover a tiny fraction of all the houses there. What would be the point of that?

Also, who the hell would give up their guns in that situation? Wouldn't you see them taking your neighbors' guns or hear from someone that it had happened to them and realize that maybe telling the cops that you had no guns was the way to go?

[Gunpacker]

Police probably asked the residents if they had guns in the house. Lie to the authorities? Most people don't think it wise.
The "little old lady" that got squashed, was simply holding it in her hand, and I bet she had been asked if the officers could see it.

[AirForceShooter]

Florida has NO registration at all. Our Constitution prohibits it.

AFS

[Waywardmonk]

This makes me think of the movie Deathwish with Charles Bronson. He is buying a gun and aks the seller " do I need a license? " and the reply is " Hello no! this ain't commie Russia! ". My how some things have changed.

Guns officer? oh no, guns are way too dangerous. Bye now and be careful!...

Hey hon, where are the rest of my AR mags? ;)

[lawson4]

I'm confident that the guns I bought from an individual are not "registered" in my name. I filled out no paperwork and the seller only asked if I was a resident. SC has no registration. If you buy from an FFL, you have the yellow forms to fill out.

lawson4

[damarshal]

I am not sure which gun seizures you are talking about in NO, but would assume that guns were found as police and mililtary did house to house searches for bodies. I worked there for 3 weeks following Katrina and have never seen anything like it. I'm sure that all firearms encountered were seized to prevent the low lifes from aquiring them. I was there to provide security for Verizon wireless because of all the armed gangsters running around. It was a lawless area and reminded me of Escape From New York.

[Sistema1927]

I live in Maryland, but assume this is the case everywhere.

Some of us live in free states where we can buy and sell from individuals and don't have to ask for permission from the authorities or fill out any paperwork.

[cambeul41]

Does anybody believe this guy is for real?

[cracked butt]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Does anybody believe this guy is for real?


I'd give him the benifit of the doubt if he spent time down there cut off from the media.

[beerslurpy]

They went door to door in NOLA because they were trying to kick out the residents of those houses in preparation for condemnation and eminent domain precedings. Remember, it isnt about guns, it's about control. You can't take people's property unless you kick them off, which requires they be disarmed if they arent willing to cooperate.

I suspect the formula went something like:
NOLA - poor negroes = urban renewal

Things didnt go quite as planned because:
-many people barricaded themselves into their houses instead of inviting the nice soldiers in for tea.
-the chain of command broke down rapidly because the city and state were run by corrupt retards
-the henchpersons abandonded their posts en masse in a shocking display of self-interest
-the news media smelled blood and mayhem and came running. Everyone saw grandma get tackled by SWAT on national TV.

[Art Eatman]

"They went door to door in NOLA because they were trying to kick out the residents of those houses in preparation for condemnation and eminent domain precedings."

beerslurpy, that's gotta rank way up high in the NFW category. You're giving that crowd credit for a degree of both calm during a bad scene and of organization way past anything they'd be capable of doing.

You don't have to kick out residents for either condemnation or for eminent domain proceedings. Totally unnecessary.

My own cynical attitude is that Nagin and Blanco were figuring out who'd get control of what money from FEMA.

Art

[Robert Hairless]

My own cynical attitude is that Nagin and Blanco were figuring out who'd get control of what money from FEMA.

Mine is a much less pessimistic view of what happened in New Orleans. The impression I formed from the sidelines while observing the antics of C. Ray Nagin is that he is an incompetent who is in so far over his head that he is incapable of formulating any longterm plan. He seemed to be running around singing choruses of "Somebody do something!" with alternating refrains of "It's not my fault!" and "Why is everybody always picking on me?"

There's another, but related, issue created by the illegal confiscation of firearms in New Orleans. We often see messages posted by people who denounce the N.R.A. and refuse to support it as a matter of principle. Those principled people who have had guns confiscated in New Orleans now have an excellent opportunity to demonstrate their principles. All they need to do is decline the return of their own firearms, declare that they have no intention of benefitting from the N.R.A., and institute individual suits against the City. I expect to see many such suits--at about the same time that Hell freezes over.

[whm1974]

This makes me think of the movie Deathwish with Charles Bronson. He is buying a gun and aks the seller " do I need a license? " and the reply is " Hello no! this ain't commie Russia! ". My how some things have changed.

Not Deathwish. He was given a gun as a gift by a client in AZ.

-Bill

[TallPine]

Also, those of you who live in states with no kind of registration, do you feel confident that guns you bought new and had to fill out paperwork on aren't on a list somewhere out there?
The govt agents would have to go around to every store that I've bought a gun from and glean the info from their records.

Of course, anyone with a CCW permit or who has ever bought a hunting license is on "the list"

In fact, the whole state of Montana might as well be on "the list" since I know of only a very few adults who do not own guns. (1 to be exact - a widow lady who moved here a couple years ago)

[WayneConrad]

The books that manufacturers and dealers keep only allow a serial number to be traced from who made it to who ultimately bought it.

But then there is NICS. I don't think NICS registers firearms, but it sure registers firearm purchasers. Legally, the records are supposed to be destroyed after some amount of time. In reality, I don't trust the government to do that.

[benEzra]

I am not sure which gun seizures you are talking about in NO, but would assume that guns were found as police and mililtary did house to house searches for bodies. I worked there for 3 weeks following Katrina and have never seen anything like it. I'm sure that all firearms encountered were seized to prevent the low lifes from aquiring them.
We're not talking about the same thing. We're talking about police cuffing law-abiding homeowners in the street, ransacking their houses for guns (without search warrants), and taking any guns they found.

ABC News video here: http://www.gunowners.org/abcnews.mpg

Elderly lady gets bodyslammed and her gun taken, after officers asked to see her gun (a ruse); she was taken away for "processing": http://www.gunowners.org/neworleans.ram