No more post-disaster gun grabs . . . NRA threatens legal action over Virgin Islands firearm confiscation order

The National Rifle Association (NRA) is threatening legal action to stop a seizure of guns and ammunition by U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp (I) ahead of Hurricane Irma, the group said Tuesday.

“People need the ability to protect themselves during times of natural disaster,” said Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA’S Institute for Legislative Action. “This dangerous order violates the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens and puts their lives at risk.”

In an order on Monday, Mapp activated the National Guard to “restore public order, and to guarantee the safety of life and property” in anticipation of the hurricane, the Daily Caller first reported.

So because some numnutz was negligent, one of nature’s most beautiful creatures is dead . . . Tiger killed in metro neighborhood belonged to circus parent company

Hours after a tiger rummaged through a Henry County neighborhood, attacked a dog and was shot and killed by police, local and state authorities identified its owners.

The Department of Natural Resources on Wednesday said the tiger’s owner is Feld Entertainment, Inc. The company reported the tiger missing from a shipment traveling from Florida to Tennessee.

“The truck had stopped in Georgia during the overnight hours, and during that stop the female Bengal tiger managed to escape unnoticed,” DNR spokesman Mark McKinnon said in a news release. “(The company) discovered that she was missing when the truck arrived at the destination.”

Trace writer shocked — SHOCKED! — by how many guns we have . . . Americans Anti-gun Researcher Frightened by How Many Guns Americans Own

(Jennifer) Mascia is an (former) editorial assistant at the New York Times and was a regular contributor to its anti-gun column “The Gun Report” until it was shut down in 2014. Her source, the Small Arms Survey, is an international anti-gun group purporting to provide accurate statistics on all aspects of private gun ownership worldwide. Unfortunately, its reputation for accuracy has been tainted, with much of its reporting being challenged as “misleading or just plain wrong.”

In this instance, however, the numbers Mascia dug up from the outfit actually understated the “concerns” she expressed about how many firearms are owned by those “everyday Americans.” The real number isn’t 270 million — not even close — but is at least 100 million higher. And even that number is likely too small, given gun owners’ propensity not to be forthcoming to pollsters asking question about their gun ownership.

This is something of a mixed bag . . . The Second Amendment Comes Second For A Reason

And so it was for the vast bulk of American history.  Gun control laws were practically non-existent and are a product more of the Progressive era than based on Constitutional law.  Most of the laws were aimed at keeping firearms out of the hands of irresponsible citizens, and then later aimed to ban or control certain types of firearms.

In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled that the possession of firearms in the home is constitutionally-protected in Heller vs. DC.  They later applied that consensus to state laws in McDonnell vs. Illinois.  The Court did recognize that banning firearms in certain “sensitive locations like schools and government buildings” was likely permissible, as were laws designed to keep firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill or convicted felons.  No gun advocate disagrees.

They chose…poorly . . . ‘They’re coming in. There’s no question’: Home break-in ends with gunfire

A home break-in ended with gunfire in Las Vegas.

The homeowner has already been the victim of one home burglary and this was the second time he had been hit. But this time, he was ready for it and armed with a gun. …

The moments before the break-in were caught on camera. Kris owns a Ring doorbell, which sends a live feed direct to his cell phone.

The doorbell has a tiny camera inside, so you get a really good look at the would-be burglars.

Well duh . . . Why Progressives Use The Made-Up Term ‘Assault Weapon’

If an AR-15 isn’t a military-grade assault rifle, why do politicians and people in the media continue to refer to them as “assault weapons”? Simply put, it sounds scarier, and fear is an outstanding motivator, especially when one is ill-informed on the topic at hand.

If we apply the same standard to handguns that Democratic politicians and the media apply to AR-15s, we would call them “assault weapons” as well. So why don’t we? Why don’t we call the guns used in the majority of gun crimes “assault weapons”? Because manipulation through language is not always easily achievable.

I’m pretty sure that’s against the law . . . Gun runners smuggled deadly weapons to Coventry on tourist coach

Gun runners who smuggled fully-loaded lethal weapons to Coventry were today behind bars.

Nicholas Barbary, 29, and Mark Maynard, 30, smuggled a self-loading Walther P38 pistol, two reactivated Czechoslovakian Skorpion sub-machine-guns, and ammunition using a tourist coach from the continent.

A package containing the weapons was attached by magnets to the underside of the coach, which was retrieved by the men when it stopped in Coventry in January.

It had returned the previous day from a routine tourist trip to Belgium.

Your feel-good story of the day . . . Man Shot After Kicking In Ex-Girlfriend’s Door

Tulsa Police say a man is in critical condition after his ex-girlfriend shot him in fear for her life.

Police got the call around 11 p.m. Friday night near Pine and Peoria.

The man, later identified as William Easley, was found lying in the driveway with bullet wounds in the arm and chest.

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58 COMMENTS

  1. Once you get passed all the click bait headlines the U.S. Virgin Islands’ order is kind of interesting. The order indicates guns, ammunition and explosives can be confiscated for USE BY THE NATIONAL GUARD. I guess that means U.S. v. Miller (US 1939) was right, the militia ie. citizens are expected to have military spec weapons.

    I am not so sure about this confiscation business though.

    • Tain’t just evil scary-lookin’ guns.

      The exec order states the national guard on the US Virgin Islands has…… “the authority to seize arms, ammunition, explosives, incendiary material AND ANY OTHER PROPERTY that may be required by the military forces for the performance of this emergency mission…..”

      That’s some serious schmitte, “any other property”. At that point, we’re more than likely talkin’ bout citizens simply saying ‘eff choo maing’ and the S will indeed HTF.

      PS, I’m on the current centerline for Irma – South Florida – Y’all have any idea what would happen if teh gubmint tried that here ? Like a ton of folks have suggested on numerous forums, the US Virgin Islands thing might be a test/dry-run to see what kinda boat floats.

      • If you can’t F with the Constitution, you must be a POS (D) gun-grabbing tyrannical governor who must be afraid his constituency is bound to toe tag him if he doesn’t violate the 4th Amendment.
        “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

        http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment4.html

        F the evil (D)

        • Not quite.
          They are, in fact, citizens of the USA, with most of the same rights as any other citizen (main difference: they can’t vote for the president).

        • culturally, they may as well be haitians or jamaicans. They arent steeped in american culture or values or respect for constitutional rights. What they are is a quasi colonial outpost that would be just another group of third world specks in the carribbean were it not for american governance and money….

        • All the more reason to have zero tolerance for a POS (D) governor who is sh_tting on the Constitution, and all those who tolerate him.

    • Why doesn’t the National Guard in the USVA have their own weapons and supplies needed to fulfill their mission? I wonder when that question will be looked into.

  2. Well MM I just heard the governor of the USVI say no I didn’t do nothin’ to Tucker Carlson. Rather bizzare exchange and some serious okeedoke…good on the NRA. Claiming innocence while your islands are getting battered-BAD.

  3. to guarantee the safety of life and property

    You have to kind of admire the kind of absurd hubris that insists that the same government that can’t guarantee your safety under ordinary circumstances, can suddenly do so in the face of a historically powerful hurricane, if only you give up your guns.

    • Yeah, I was gonna say that sounds damn close to actionable language they could be held accountable for in a sane court. I mean, if the illegal order was made to guarantee safety, and failed to do so (which it will; I understand this area is a crime ridden hell hole) then what possible justification could be made for allowing it to stand? Promised good intentions? The courts have been very clear in stating public safety officials have no legal obligation to achieve positive outcomes for their communities (i.e. guarantee safety) therefore how could a promise like this be anything but abuse of authority?

    • This is a perfect spot for one of Joe R.’s frequent one-liners: If anyone involved with government says “We can’t protect you unless you give up X,” then only the first part of their statement is true.

    • That quote in the post above jumped off the screen at me. What a bunch of S#IT!!! Check out Warren vs. District of Columbia…landmark decision that if there was ever any doubt (not in my mind) that it’s KMAGYOYO every day, every where.

    • Look to me like a bunch of teenagers looking for drug money. Talk like teens too.
      And by the way, there is no way to tell a dreamer from someone actually born here; they look the same and talk the same because they’ve been living here most of their lives. As a general rule, people who learn a second language after about age seven retain an accent. A huge number of dreamers came here during infancy. Moreover, simply because someone came originally from south of the border doesn’t mean that that person grew up to be a thug.

      • Don’t make a sh_t.

        Foreign nationals don’t get to decide who gets to com into this country.

        Bottom line.

        Worth dying over.

      • It’s hilarious you make this statement:
        “As a general rule, people who learn a second language after about age seven retain an accent”
        Then this statement:
        “simply because someone came originally from south of the border doesn’t mean that that person grew up to be a thug.”

        The children of drug dealers don’t necessarily grow up to be criminals themselves, “but as a general rule,” yeah they do. Children pay for the sins of their parents, often by being drawn into the lawlessness themselves. Had these parents applied for lawful entry for their families a decade ago when they first illegally immigrated, they would likely have legal status by now and would not be facing deportation if they catch authorities’ eye. Now their children face the risk of deportation to an unknown/forgotten homeland because of the parents’ shortsightedness. Children pay dearly for parents’ mistakes daily, which is why it is so important for parents to make good decisions. They gambled on perpetual non-enforcement, and now they get to gamble some more with the risk of deportation (as opposed to having lawful status bestowed despite breaking the rules for a decade or more)

        • Really not that hard. If you reside in the US for 5min there is no way you can ever repay us for that benefit. If you’re illegal you have now seen what needs to be done in YOUR hellhole GTF out and go do it. Leave by Jan 1, 2018 and you can take 70% of your assets. If not, we may deport you to any area under the control of the US and we will keep your assets.

          Placing 5million nominally Catholic “hispanics” in enclaves in Iraq or Afganistan would do GREAT things for that cesspool.

  5. Spinner: at the 3:14 minute mark (ish) in the video he touches the spinner on the left. What you think I didn’t notice? Conveniently, the video URL happens to only list the link for the one on the right.

    Things that make you go hmmmm…

    I still bought 3 because ‘murica. For what they cost, hand them out as trophies after the kids shoot a revolver for the first time.

    • Okay.
      This is now the closest I’ve come to wanting a Spinner. So far, I’ve been able to resist the temptation (the Batman logo shaped one had me sweating a little) but I may have to part with a few bucks for this one.

      • I hear S&W has been making a decent .357 spinner for decades, with a few additional features.

        Although you’d be shelling out a few more bucks and it doesn’t spin as long but I think the additional features well justify the cost

  6. OMG
    Spinner Boy has got to get outa his mom’s basement.

    I am now inspired to create a 44mag spinner.
    Plus, I just ordered the revolver cylinder shifter knob for the truck.
    Now I can go back & forth tween it and my full size Sam Addams tap arm shifter.
    (The SA shifter evokes the old rat rod cartoon looks.)
    ((For you young’ns, well, ya just had to be there…)

  7. First, every home intruder should always leave in a body bag! The tiger shot and killed should have been followed by the transporter! Senseless because he couldn’t do his job! As for Mapp, a Dutch governor was hung for taking away the colonists arms under the same pretext! Mapp should not survive the hurricane! The intent of the 2nd Amendment was to ensure all able bodied men could respond with equal firepower to the military should the militia be called up. So should the NG not be able to enforce peace, stop looting, or be overwhelmed by relief efforts, the citizens must be able to respond. Sacrifice the one for the good of the many!

    • The very first battles of the Revolution were a fight to the death protecting communally stored (but individually owned) (black) powder magazines. The first one was a terrible loss to the Red Coats, the second made the English wonder ‘where’d all these angry people come from?’
      Now we have the same batch of pigs in the big house. There’s the POS evil (D), and some other batch of MF that prove every day that there’s no way to know who the F those pod people are.

      • a fight to the death community crew served weapons and…….

        When the progtard asks if “that” includes M1 tanks and F16s and rockets, the correct response is that those are community assets (right).

  8. “The Second comes second for a reason…”
    So, like, I read the whole article, and the title notwithstanding, he never once says why it comes second. His failure to do so isn’t really all that surprising, since the drafters attached no particular importance to the order in which the amendments (ultimately) appeared, and being second doesn’t mean it is more important that 3-10 or less than 1.

    And further, Peruta was not denied cert on a 7-2 vote; rather it was denied cert. because there were not 4 votes in favor, as required by the court’s rules. The Supreme Court itself does not, as far as we know, record votes on cert. petitions; hence all that we can say for certain is that there were 2 acknowledged votes to grant, possibly 3, but not 4.

    • “…he never once says why it comes second. His failure to do so isn’t really all that surprising, since the drafters attached no particular importance to the order in which the amendments (ultimately) appeared, and being second doesn’t mean it is more important that 3-10 or less than 1.”

      True, but makes a nifty talking-point to baffle the gun-grabbers with.

      Such as –

      “Well, they thought it important enough that they made it number 2 on a top-ten list of things the Government *can’t* do to the citizens.”

      Utterly meaningless, until you factor in that too many folks instantly give credence to nearly anything in a ‘top ten’ list…

      • So the Bill of Rights is basically 200-year-old clickbait, complete with the obligatory disclosure at the end that nobody pays attention to (the setting forth of rights herein shall not be construed to deny or disparage other rights retained by the people). It figures.

        • Barron v. Baltimore 1833
          The ruling legally established the principle that the first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights, apply to and restrain the federal government’s powers but do not apply to state governments. This legal doctrine was not reversed until the twentieth century when the Supreme Court gradually included the Bill of Rights into the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees.

  9. “irresponsible citizens”=the poor, minorities and disadvantaged I’m sure. Seems to be the way of gun control historically.

    The Tiger is kind of a shame, I really wonder if it “got out” or was let out by someone (say eco terrorist)

    In terms of the Virgin Islands, their governor seems kind of like a despot. Hope they take him to task for that garbage. If the guard isn’t prepared, crying out loud.

  10. The problem with US Virgin Islands is that guns have to be registered, so it is easy for the government can come in using the list and demand the guns they know people have. There is a large population of thugs and many of them are armed with unregistered guns, besides the cops would be too frightened to go after the thugs since that would be a good way to get shot!

    • “The problem with US Virgin Islands is that guns have to be registered, so it is easy for the government can come in using the list and demand the guns they know people have.”

      That’s the beauty of a cat-5 storm like Irma.

      On a devastated island like Barbuda, when your home gets blown to smithereens, it gets easy to report that you can’t find your guns, allowing them to rat-hole the the ones ‘missing’ for a future day.

      A Cat-5+ plus hurricane is now the new ‘tragic boating accident’ for the Caribbean, as long as they take advantage of the opportunity the storm hands them on a silver platter… 🙂

  12. “as were laws designed to keep firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill or convicted felons. No gun advocate disagrees.”

    Bull. The claim victims were “mentally ill” (something with no solid fixed definition) has been so thoroughly abused by governments through-out history, including the United States, it should NEVER be allowed as a critera for government action. Hell you don’t even need to look further than the PotUS who signed the GCA (and heavily pushed for it) to find an example. Johnson’s Presidential campaign made a big deal out of smearing his primary political opponent as crazy.

    • This.
      “No gun advocate disagrees.”

      Really? No Really?

      I’m a gun advocate. Next time you fell like talking for me, my hand better be up your a_ _ to the elbow, with me working you like a puppet.

  13. Thanks for reminding me about that Everytown video. How anyone with any sense at all could watch that and think anything other than “she should have shot him the second the door was kicked open” is baffling to me…

    • That is the saddest excuse for a gun control commercial ever. We had the points made that 911 didn’t do a lick of good for her, nor did the restraining order. If she would have had a Glock like he did her odds would have been a lot better. Even without the gun, he could have just stabbed her, beaten her with an object or strangled her.

  14. Those two British “gun runners” look like rejects from the “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” casting call.

    • Am I the only one who thinks everything about that movie was pathetic? Like, the entire plot could have been resolved with a couple defensive firearm uses by guys that knew evil dudes were coming for them (with guns). And the whole panic surrounding the old shotguns was beyond retarded. Even the BREN gun guy was completely retarded & out of his element.

  15. “And even that number is likely too small, given gun owners’ propensity not to be forthcoming to pollsters asking question about their gun ownership.

    Gee, I wonder why. It couldn’t have anything to do with the leftist progs all repeating in unison, “I believe in the Second Amendment, and nobody is coming for your guns,” while their actions scream ALL YOUR GUNS ARE BELONG TO US AND NOW ILLEGAL! REGISTER! MR. AND MRS. AMERICA, TURN THEM ALL IN!

  16. Firearms seizures in the United States Virgin Islands? If true, the this is the result of the NRA and the 2nd Amendment Foundation entering into a settlement agreement with New Orleans, Ray Nagin, and Eddie Compass after thousands of firearms were stolen during Katrina.

    NEWSFLASH. Under our current system of “Judicial Supremacy” this isn’t a violation of the 2nd Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court has only held that 2nd Amendment protects a person’s right to own a handgun in his home for self-defense. That’s it that’s as much as it protects. They have never held that you even have the right to take it out of your house.
    Before everyone starts making up reasons why the Constitution is being violated, there is no reason to get that complicated. Because of the abuse of power during Katrina, Congress passed and Bush signed “The Vitter Amendment” which made it illegal for the police, national guard, etc. to seize firearms or ammunition during a state of emergency. The law even awards attorney’s fees for enforcing your rights.

    However, Governor Mapp and those who follow his order are in violation of
    42 U.S. Code § 5207.

    42 United States Code § 5207 Firearms policies
    (a) Prohibition on confiscation of firearms
    No officer or employee of the United States (including any member of the uniformed services), or person operating pursuant to or under color of Federal law, or receiving Federal funds, or under control of any Federal official, or providing services to such an officer, employee, or other person, while acting in support of relief from a major disaster or emergency, may—
    (1) temporarily or permanently seize, or authorize seizure of, any firearm the possession of which is not prohibited under Federal, State, or local law, other than for forfeiture in compliance with Federal law or as evidence in a criminal investigation;
    (2) require registration of any firearm for which registration is not required by Federal, State, or local law;
    (3) prohibit possession of any firearm, or promulgate any rule, regulation, or order prohibiting possession of any firearm, in any place or by any person where such possession is not otherwise prohibited by Federal, State, or local law; or
    (4) prohibit the carrying of firearms by any person otherwise authorized to carry firearms under Federal, State, or local law, solely because such person is operating under the direction, control, or supervision of a Federal agency in support of relief from the major disaster or emergency.
    (b) Limitation
    Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit any person in subsection (a) from requiring the temporary surrender of a firearm as a condition for entry into any mode of transportation used for rescue or evacuation during a major disaster or emergency, provided that such temporarily surrendered firearm is returned at the completion of such rescue or evacuation.
    (c) Private rights of action
    (1) In general
    Any individual aggrieved by a violation of this section may seek relief in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress against any person who subjects such individual, or causes such individual to be subjected, to the deprivation of any of the rights, privileges, or immunities secured by this section.
    (2) Remedies
    In addition to any existing remedy in law or equity, under any law, an individual aggrieved by the seizure or confiscation of a firearm in violation of this section may bring an action for return of such firearm in the United States district court in the district in which that individual resides or in which such firearm may be found.
    (3) Attorney fees
    In any action or proceeding to enforce this section, the court shall award the prevailing party, other than the United States, a reasonable attorney’s fee as part of the costs.
    (Pub. L. 93–288, title VII, § 706, as added Pub. L. 109–295, title V, § 557, Oct. 4, 2006, 120 Stat. 1391.)

  17. The break in story…..

    ” And as soon as one comes two feet into my home, I fire two rounds.”
    Kris said he ran outside and fired two more rounds.”

    Some people are really clueless about what not to say about their DGU.

  18. The virgin islands confiscation order is very worrying
    It clearly says that not only can they take your guns, but they can take any other property they need for their mission
    I assume that means if you have a generator, fuel, food and water they will take it from you
    As if the National Guard doesn’t already have all that stuff
    This is the virgin islands which is very corrupt so it’s likely that the guardsmen have stolen all the equipment
    So now the jackbooted government thugs will come and take it from the prepared citizens

  19. From the NEW American link, I noted this: Could fedgov turn the military against the citizenry? None in the anti-gun media has even dared ask that question..

    I heard from some good sources that this question was asked of the Australian military just after Port Arthur., and their response was Make that order and we WILL march on Parliament House.. When asked to elaborate the military spokesman said that such an order will clearly indicate this country is no longer the one our fathers and grandfathers fought and died for.

    The Australian military has a long reputation for mutiny when it receives orders that are considered unfair, unreasonable, and even illegal.

    I would imagine rank-and-file members, and even up to junior officers, in the US military would have similar sentiments. Senior officers on the other hand know better to tow the political line if they want to continue their career and keep their retirement benefits.

    • The regular Army, AF, Marines, Navy, CG can’t be used for police duty. That’s one of the reason the NG is used for riot/emergency purposes.
      Asking the NG, which is made up of members of the local citizenry, would probably balk at being ordered to act in such a manner in its local area.
      This means the feds would need to call up an outside NG unit, which wouldn’t have the same ties to the locality, but would still have to be wondering what was happening to their families back home.
      I had this discussion with some NG officers a bunch of years ago, and the consensus was that this wouldn’t work well at all. IOW, there’s real way to make it work.
      This leaves the local LEO agencies, from the state level down. While the same local mentality would come into play, there is the problem that such local LEO agencies tend to have a certain number of LEOs who aren’t in the force for altruistic reasons, but rather because they are bullies, plain and simple. Those who deny this simply aren’t paying attention.
      It’s a trifling matter to identify these individuals and put then into ‘special units,’ who would do the bidding of supervisors or even politicians with bad motives. These agencies could even go out of their way to hire like individuals to fill these units.
      This is, IMO, the real danger.

  20. Where was the NRA during hurricane Katrina when police went door to door and confiscated firearms from legal citizens?? Many of which never received their firearm back, coincidentally. Did the NRA do anything about that after the governor (or whoever made the decision) decided to confiscate firearms door to door?

    • REALLY. You asleep. Katrina was an American first. The NRA and others took action to correct the issue.

      BUT there is no way of peacefully restraining statist progtards when they see an opportunity to advance their marxist agenda. The face of disaster/tragedy is opportunity. Shameless doesn’t even begin to cover it. See VIrgin Islands, See demtard/rino Houston bailout in congress, and endless other examples.

  21. Easy on the eyes but I’m pretty sure if you search on High Maintenance progtard chick you’ll find photo of this Jennifer Mascia.

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