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What really amazes me about this post (and I didn't read EVERY response, but about 80% of them), is the sheer number of people that don't know their rights out there. This is compounded with the town I live in (a college town), where I am getting more aware of the student/police/towns folk relationship and how in this situation too the large majority of people don't know their basic civil rights.
You would think that any and all gun owners would know their basic rights of ownership, property, and freedom from un-warranted search and seizure. I'm wondering if some of you out there that are more involved in the industry (potentially even lawyers, or NRA staff members), could you possibly post a sticky thread about civilian rights in regards to being a gun owner? It's seeming more and more like this is information that needs to be out there.
Mobocracy is alive and well in America.*
*Supporting Evidence for Hypothesis: The Internet
-me
'All of my firearms have 4 military features, a barrel, a trigger, a hammer, and a stock."
-coworker
Sometimes.
I know my rights and when a Child Wellfare Services worker came to my door because of allegations made by my wife's psycho (bonafide on SSDI for mental illness) ex-friend made. . . He wouldn't say why (obligated by law to notify parents "why") or what it was about, just that he wanted to come in and look around. . . I told the little troll to get a warrant.
They hit our house when we weren't home, did the full SWAT on it. Don't know if they tasered the dogs or what but there was dog crap all over the kitchen, broken glass from the front door to the back. One of the dogs developed heart issues and had to be put down shortly thereafter (by shortly I don't mean a month or more) They tore up everything. The warrant was for my little girl (only & there was a big gapping blank where probable cause is supposed to be attested to) & it was obvious they'd searched the kitchen drawers and medcine cabinet (who keeps their child in the drawer with the spatulas? really?) . . . . I could go on. The story got much, MUCH worse before it got better.
I know things can go really wrong if you exercise your rights. I know it painfully well. However, choosing to not exercise those rights for fear of what I have just described is a failure to defend the Constitution against all enemies. . . . if faced with governemnt agents at my door again, again I will not consent.
I feel I should add a little disclaimer: I don't have hard feelings towards most of the the cops involved and certainly not toward cops in general. I realize that they were opperating on what they thought was good information. I only fault the DHS agent with the chip on his shoulder, who added false information to puff the case up to where SWAT would get involved and a couple of cops that proved dirty in the aftermath. I still have all my rights, all my guns, and my children . . . being innocent is pretty great. Proving it really sucked.
If you had watched the entire video you would have also seen a veteran detective give his side as well. The point is that there is nothing to gain by talking/consenting to police and everything to lose. If you decide to watch the whole video we can have a discussion otherwise you're only getting half the story.
There is no gray area, and intentions are meaningless. I've no wish to be unkind, but the situation as described leads me to conclude that you were fortunate in the extreme that things didn't follow an all-too-predictable path to a felony conviction.
Most may view this as an issue of individual rights, and I'm not suggesting that it isn't, but ignorance is no excuse under the law, and those who would wish to own firearms -- especially NFA firearms and components -- have an attendanct obligation to educate themselves and remain in full and overt compliance with the law. Give the authorities a reason to come knocking, and you are simply asking for the persistent migraines (or worse) that will surely follow.
AC
Stand your ground; don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here. -- Captain John Parker, Lexington, 1775.
I wouldn't let them in without a warrant.
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