Ask any New Orleans resident, and he’ll tell you that what happened in the city in August and September was only partially an act of God. The failures that spawned the worst disaster in American history were predominantly man-made, the result of too many years of incompetence, neglect and hubris. But whatever the cause, you’d have to look far and wide for a resident of this great country who believes Hurricane Katrina was the last disaster to ever befall America. Other tragedies — whether natural or man-made — are coming.
The burning question after Katrina, of course, is: “How will we as a nation respond to them?”
Based on the evidence left in the wake of Katrina, the answer is: “Not very well.”
Everyone from Miami to Seattle remembers the heart-wrenching scenes of American citizens baking on concrete streets waiting for food, water and rescue after flood waters forced them from their homes. Many of us have strong feelings about the culpability shared by these citizens for their plight. But still, it was hard to view those scenes and not be moved or feel compassion.
But far fewer of us are familiar with another scene that was being played out in New Orleans while we were all glued to TVs watching the drama. In unflooded sections of the city, many thousands of citizens who had stayed behind to protect their belongings were being systematically harassed, threatened and, most chillingly, disarmed by the very agencies that were supposed to be protecting them.
On Sept. 8, 2005, just more then a week after Katrina roared ashore, then-superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department Eddie Compass said in a press conference, “No one will be able to be armed. Guns will be taken. Only law enforcement will be allowed to have guns.”
No matter that the Second Amendment of the Constitution guarantees the right of every citizen to bear arms, the head of a police agency obviously felt he was more enlightened than the Founding Fathers.
And as a result, his minions went door to door and illegally stole guns from law-abiding citizens who intended to use their weapons for nothing more than personal protection.
It was the most outrageous and egregious abuse of the Second Amendment in U.S. history, and now it’s all documented in a book.
Sportsman shooting columnist Gordon Hutchinson and I have collaborated on The Great New Orleans Gun Grab, which recounts story after story of American citizens who were mugged of their private property — their guns — by law-enforcement agencies during the aftermath of Katrina.
One was a single, middle-aged woman who was minding her own business in her home when she answered a knock at the door and showed her gun only after the cops asked to see it. When she presented it, they charged into her home, tackled her, stole her gun and forced her into an awaiting truck. In the assault, her front teeth were turned to powder, and her shoulder was broken.
And it was undeniable — it was all caught on videotape.
There are many more stories just like this in The Great New Orleans Gun Grab. You won’t want to believe what you’re reading.
In the greatest test of the Second Amendment in U.S. history, our country was found lacking, revealing our Constitution may not be worth more than the paper on which it’s written.
To order your copy of The Great New Orleans Gun Grab, visit www.neworleansgungrab.com, or call (800) 538-4355.
