http://willtoexist.com/http:/willtoexist.com/did-fema-disarm-residents-of-greensburg-kansas-after-a-tornado_1027/pay special attention to rob hes from the town and was there as opposed to guessing based on a third hand story from 1000 miles away
Chuck // May 19, 2007 at 5:32 pm
True story, wrong motive implied by writer. The second part of the sentence is the key:
Of the over 350 firearms confiscated by police immediately after the storm, only a third have been returned to their owners.
If this were truly an effort to disarm the population, that third wouldnt have been returned. Ive seen coverage on this from someone without anachist slanting. There was no systematic search for weapons. When weapons were found during the search for survivors and bodies, they were picked up for everyones safety. FEMA has nothing to do with it, local police and rescue workers were doing it long before outside help arrived.
I do partially agree with the writer on the subject of FEMA. It should go back to a supply management role instead of boots on the ground. Hurricane Katrina changed all that with the bogus claims that FEMA should have been there quicker. In Oklahoma, we take care of our own and only look to the Feds for money and supplies.
Also, there was no delay of relief workers. Non-essential people were kept out of the way during search and rescue and since all residents were evacuated as they were found, there was no other need for relief workers. Looting is a very real problem in these situations. If you were staying at your cousin Georges house thirty miles away, would you want strangers poking through your stuff? As people are allowed back in to clean up whatever is left of their homes, there will be volunteers right beside them helping with Salvation Army and Red Cross providing food, water, and cleanup supplies.
Chuck
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5 Trevor // May 20, 2007 at 5:19 am
Good comment Chuck. Thanks for contributing your thoughts. No, I wouldnt want strangers poking through my stuff. Terminology is important here, and intent is important. If the weapons were collected by police, not confiscated, with the intent of returning them to their rightful owners, then great. Its good to keep an eye on such events, and discuss them rationally, using the best facts we have available.
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6 Earl // May 20, 2007 at 4:44 pm
just returned from Greensburg (grew up there)
The weapons were confiscated and those weapons that were legally owned will be returned.
The were taken so looters couldnt get them.
There were a number of fully automatic weapons that were taken by ATF, and several stolen weapons found and these obviously will not be returned.
The author obviously has an agenda.
Earl.
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7 Trevor // May 22, 2007 at 5:23 am
Earl,
We all have an agenda, so I dont mind that, as long as the person is up front about it.
Why would the fully automatic weapons not be returned? Did the owners fail to pay the $200 tax per weapon? Maybe they just didnt want to surrender their 4th amendment rights in exchange for a full auto?
I understand wanting to keep looters out. I understand not returning stolen weapons, and would expect prosecution whenever possible in those cases. Its still legal (if youre willing to surrender your constitutional rights to the feds) to own automatic firearms in many places.
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8 Rob // Jul 2, 2007 at 4:27 pm
I was there and yes, guns that were recovered during searches were taken and only returned if they were properly registered.
Something to take note of though is that residents that were staying with friends outside of the community, were searched when leaving to make sure they had no guns.
After hearing of this, people that still were going through debris would stash their guns or take them to a friend that did not have total destruction.
After the first week they no longer did this and that is when people would take there guns out of Greensburg.
Every night just after cerfew a Helicopter would make a couple of flights around the town and then land again. I believe they were scanning the town for residents.
I used to work for a search and rescue organization when I was younger. The sherrif Dept Helicopter would attach an infra red scanner to find people. The device on the outside of the Helicopter looked a lot the same.
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