Gun Confiscation – Seattle
A dangerous precedent has been set in Seattle this week. On March 5th a man living in the Belltown neighborhood had his gun confiscated by police. There were no charges filed. He was not arrested. His gun was simply taken because of complaints that he was staring at people while open carrying his firearm. To be 100% clear, this man DID NOT BREAK ANY LAWS.
The rationale Seattle police used for confiscating this man’s gun is commonly known as an ERPO or an “extreme risk protection order.” Certain states including Washington have put in place ERPO laws which allow police, community members or family members to petition the court to take someone’s firearms … and do so by force if necessary. ERPO (or similar) laws exist in Washington, California, Oregon, Connecticut and Indiana.
This Seattle man, who was not identified by police, became the first victim, that we are aware of, of such a a law. Conservative Institute reports:
Neighbors told reporters that he stared at people through storefront windows while wearing a holstered firearm, though open carrying is legal in the locality. Reports noted that restaurants and bars in the area were quite familiar with him and had made complaints to police, but it is unclear whether what these complaints entailed. One resident from the same apartment complex, Tony Montana, seemed to lend credence to the idea that the man’s constant open carrying was a large part of the problem.
“He was roaming the hallways with a .25 caliber automatic,” Montana recalled, showing his apparent lack of knowledge of open carry laws. “And it created a lot of fear obviously because I didn’t know if he was coming after me or gonna just start shooting the place up.”
Source: Conservative Institute
The man was unwilling to turn over his weapon at first so the police went back to the court and got a warrant. We most certainly hope that the man will get appropriate and competent legal representation and get this egregious law overturned.
This news really ought to send shivers up the spine of any American gun owners or 2nd amendment supporters. The obvious issues of note we see immediately are first, that staring is not a crime and neither is open carrying a weapon. Secondarily we see that the anti-gun left was able to sufficiently scare the people of this man’s neighborhood with anti-gun propaganda in order for them to perceive him as a threat. It’s clear the quoted resident of his apartment complex has no knowledge of firearms. The man’s handgun was not automatic, but rather a semi-automatic firearm. Automatic weapons are illegal (unconstitutionally) and have been since 1986. It would have been a much bigger story if he were carrying an automatic weapon. All this leads the informed reader to understand that the man is simply acting out of fear and parroting the false narratives of mainstream propaganda.
By the way, we ought to have some hope as a conservative community. We most certainly are a silent majority. Don’t allow the propaganda to fool you. And most importantly, where appropriate SPEAK UP. The NRA, Gun Owners of America and other firearms related groups have all seen a huge spike in interest and memberships since the recent school shootings. Click here for more details.
ERPOs laws also known as “red flag laws” … Some believe that this type of law would have stopped the Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz. But that line of reasoning is patently bogus considering that the authorities including the school, local police and the FBI were warned on dozens of occasions of the overt threats made by Cruz. AND THEY DID NOTHING. The stark contrast in the situations here is alarming.
As reported by KATU Seattle, the man’s neighbor purports to have sensed an imminent threat notwithstanding the clear commentary that indicates this man had been open carrying for months.
I’m very supportive of this law,” Montana said. “This is a perfect case in point where it’s had some efficacy. It was an immediate crisis and law enforcement was able to remove his firearms, so it very well could have saved lives.
Source
Under Washington law the confiscations last a year, although they can be renewed.
Looking intimidating is not against the law. Neither is open carrying a firearm in most Western states. And here is the problem. Mainstream propaganda has so effectively warped the mind of the public at large in some areas that we appear to be a society hell bent on enslaving ourselves simply due to irrational emotion. Anyone that is willing to take your guns is willing to either use deadly force against you or have the state do so for them for the most petty of reasons… such as in this case, looking stern or staring.
We advise would-be and current gun owners everywhere and those who love Liberty to take action. Here are some ideas that we’ve found helpful.
- Buy a gun if you don’t already have one. Buy another if you want.
- Get training and practice. Make sure you’re exercising your God-given rights.
- Spend the time to think through various situation that you might encounter as a gun owner and how you would respond. We’re talking about use-of-force situations, and safety issues and situations, as well as conversations you might engage in.
- Never bend on principle. Remember the purpose of the 2nd amendment is to guard against tyranny. Never let a friend of family member tell you that it’s not necessary for our freedom. Anyone willing to get rid of the 2nd amendment is willing to get rid of the 1st amendment. The 2nd amendment protects all our other freedoms … at least what we have left.
- Never allow someone to tell you that you don’t need a firearm. Anyone willing to disarm you is someone willing to see you suffer and die perhaps for petty reasons.
- Don’t flaunt it. Act rationally. Avoid confrontation… but that doesn’t mean you should stop open carrying if you so desire.
- Make sure you get out and vote this mid-term election. Hold your reps responsible when they cave to propaganda and leftist pressure on this issue.
- Finally: Take a liberal (friend of family member) shooting!! You would be surprised at how easy it is to convince an acquaintance that firearms are safe and fun when handled responsibly just by taking them out shooting. We need to spend more time shooting and teaching about why these tools of liberty are such an important part of our American ethos.
Molon Labe
The immortal cry of the Greeks that held the pass at Thermopylae was “Molon Labe” roughly translated “Come and take ’em.” This was their response when the invading Persians told them to throw down their weapons. We hope that our readers will responsibly consider the implications of the changing legal landscape and culture that we are all caught up in. Just because a law is passed by a majority or a legislature does not make the law moral. If it was moral to own and use a firearm for the last 200 years it is moral and ethical to continue to do so regardless of what the society at large thinks. But you must consider the situation and behave in a rational manner based on what you face.
As grandpa used to say, “Don’t do anything stupid.”
