Canadian Mounties Confiscate Guns—Temporarily, They Say—in the Name of Disaster Safety
The Alberta city of High River was evacuated because of flooding; while the citizens were barred from returning to their homes, the Royal Canandian Mounted Police decided to take a bunch of their guns from their home. All for public safety, you know, and when you can later prove they are yours they will give them back.
Still, some of those Canadian gun freaks are annoyed, as reported by Calgary Herald:
RCMP revealed Thursday that officers have seized a "substantial amount" of firearms from homes in the evacuated town of High River.
"We just want to make sure that all of those things are in a spot that we control, simply because of what they are," said Sgt. Brian Topham….
That news didn't sit well with a crowd of frustrated residents who had planned to breach a police checkpoint northwest of the town as an evacuation order stretched into its eighth day.
"I find that absolutely incredible that they have the right to go into a person's belongings out of their home," said resident Brenda Lackey, after learning Mounties have been taking residents' guns….
About 30 RCMP officers set up a blockade at the checkpoint, preventing 50 residents from walking into the town. Dozens more police cars, lights on, could be seen lining streets in the town on standby.
Officers laid down a spike belt to stop anyone from attempting to drive past the blockade. That action sent the crowd of residents into a rage.
"What's next? Tear gas?" shouted one resident….
"This is the reason the U.S. has the right to bear arms," said Charles Timpano, pointing to the group of Mounties…
"We don't want our town to turn into another New Orleans," said resident Jeff Langford. "The longer that the water stays in our houses the worse it's going to be. We'll either be bulldozing them or burning them down because we've got an incompetent government."
Langford blasted High River Mayor Emile Blokland over comments made Wednesday in which Blokland said residents will be allowed to return after businesses, such as hardware and drug stores, are opened….
"We have seized a large quantity of firearms simply because they were left by residents in their places," said Topham.
The guns will be returned to owners after residents are allowed back in town and they provide proof of ownership, Topham added.
Let's hope all the gun-owners with their property, uh, "borrowed," have their paperwork in order.
David Kopel wrote for Reason back in 2005 on the U.S. government's going gun confiscations in flooded New Orleans.
[Hat tip: Gordon Magill]