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Sunday, March 6, 2011

Gun Confiscations during Katrina?





FerFAL,

Thanks for writing your posts and your website. It's incredibly helpful, even for a former military person. I served as a U.S. Army Officer for over 10 years. I was involved in some interesting stuff after 9/11. One of those was security of New Orleans 3 days after hurricane Katrina decimated the place. I would like to refute something I read in one of your posts. I can't say that what you wrote about didn't happen in some part of the city or by some of the local police or sheriff's that stayed around. However, I was the commander of the first military contingent that was responsible for securing the federal assets, federal prisons, red cross and evac sites, and sensitive or critical sites. We also used our large fording vehicles to go into parts of the city that was still under 2 feet of water to rescue people. I definitively tell you that we did NOT go door to door taking peoples firearms. The President had not declared U.S. martial law, therefore we did not have any law enforcement authority, neither did the National Guard. Only local police had that authority, but since 80% of the police had left, only 400 police, SWAT, and Sheriff's remained, and they had no communications, vehicles, gas, etc. they weren't real effective and relied on our command and control. They certainly didn't have the man power to go door to door stripping people of their protection. If folks were in their own house with the ability to protect themselves, we didn't really care or worry about it at first. The real threat that we were concerned with was the hundreds of criminals, escaped prisoners, and gang-bangers that thought is was their opportunity to prey on the innocent and take advantage of no law enforcement. Again, we had no authority, so we didn't even care that they were stealing anything and everything they could carry, drive, push, or pull. Our rules of engagement were very strict. Again, our mission was to deliver and provide water and MRE's (food) to areas still under water, and secure very specific sites. The police just didn't have the fire power (or show of force) and man power to do it, and to rescue people. I only saw two weapons discharges that did result in someone being shot. In one case it was a person shooting at our convoy, in which a SWAT sniper fired upon, and one was some one shoot at the police, and a SWAT sniper again fired upon. As always, the Rules of Engagement were such that we could not and would not use force unless fired upon. 

In closing, None of my 500+ soldiers ever discharged a weapon, we never disarmed a civilian, we never used force to coerce anyone to do anything. WE DID deliver hundreds of pallets of MREs and bottled water, diapers, baby formula, etc. We did rescue hundred of people from doom, disease, and ultimate demise. We did secure hundreds of red cross workers from getting over run and all supplies stolen and personally attacked. We delivered medical supplies, rescued pets, and helped restore critical resources such as power to medical sites with our generators. 

I know you sell your book and advice by creating fear. However, please be honest and truthful when describing the heroic efforts of our military. 

Darin

Hi Darin, allow me to thank you in name of all the people you helped, I’m sure your help was much appreciated. I don’t question your honesty when you say you delivered MREs, water and saved people, so please don’t question mine.
The point of the post wasn’t to honor the good men and women that serve, but to prepare for those that would either follow unconstitutional orders or simply break the law themselves, like the police woman in uniform that could be seen looting a Walmart during Katrina or the men pictured in the videos below, beating up a granny.
I would like to point out though, that it really doesn’t matter if you didn’t confiscate guns yourself. Guns were confiscated after Katrina, sometimes by force, at the time those guns where needed the most. While you (and your 500 men)  may not have confiscated, others sure did.  The problem isn’t the upstanding Americans, police officers and military personnel that refuse to follow orders against the Constitution or even their own moral values, the problem is those that will follow such orders or behave like goons all by themselves.
Here’s a couple videos that explain how the confiscations occurred:
These National Guard troops, they confiscated guns too.
If you read my blog you know I have nothing but great respect for men and women that serve in the military or are police officers. In fact, some of the few I considered friends I can trust in USA, most of them are active duty or ex military.
A friend of mine, US Marine and combat veteran, he went to help out during Katrina. He just got into his car and went to see where he could be of use. On his way back he was stopped by local police and his rifle was taken away from him, a very nice Springfield M1A Scout rifle. He of course didn’t resist and fought for months until the weapon that was illegally confiscated from him was returned.
Finally, if you read my blog you also know that I don’t “sell my book and advice by creating fear”. Mi advice is available here almost on daily basis and you don’t have to pay a single cent. I do my best to reply to emails asking for advice, some that get posted, others that don’t but, I do everything I can to help. And my book isn’t sold through fear. It sells well because Argentina went through its own economic collapse in 2001, and the honest advice of such experience is now of help to people in USA and other nations.

I would like to refute something I read in one of your posts. I can't say that what you wrote about didn't happen in some part of the city or by some of the local police or sheriff's that stayed around.

Then what are you refuting exactly? That you didn’t confiscate guns yourself? I never said otherwise, I didn’t even know you until you emailed me.
Take care.

FerFAL

12 comments:

B said...

Methinks he protesteth too loudly.

Anonymous said...

my question to you darin is what would you have done if you had been ordered to confiscate weapons of citizens?

or what would you have done if you had seen it happening or come across the act that is very clearly shown in this videos of citizens being deprived of their constitutional rights?

...even bragged about by mayor nagin about there being NO guns allowed to citizens in his own words here...

"New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, Police Superintendent P. Eddie Compass unleashed a wave of confiscations with these chilling words:

“No one will be able to be armed. We will take all weapons. Only law enforcement will be allowed to have guns.”"

as in the first 5 seconds of this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-taU9d26wT4

what would you have done had you heard the mayor give this unconstitutional order? would you have stood aside and let it happen? there were plenty of nazi soldiers after the holocaust that were "just following orders" yet they were found guilty as well.

Ethan said...

What are we supposed to do if/when the army or police comes to take our guns? Personally, I won't give up my guns. No matter what. They'll have to take them from my dead hands first. I'm also curious what Darin would've done if they gave the order to take the weapons. If someone refused to give their gun up, would you shoot them? And what do you think what the military, as a whole, would do if they were ordered to take away guns from civilians. Even their own neighbors and family?

Anonymous said...

IMHO governments past and present do whatever they want to do that they can get away with. Law only exist when things are tranquil. Any other time compliance is by force with little regard to honorable law abiding citizens who expect to be treated honorably and in a civil manner. Criminals expect what the get understanding the us vs. them nature of their actions.

When honorable people are treated like criminals the epiphany occurs. Unfortunately for most citizens the words of Winston Churchill ring true concerning every unpleasant memory; "Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened." So not remembering history each generation must have it rewritten in suffering and blood.

Darryll Anderson said...

first off....anything that has to do with lousiana will be a little different than other states. lousiana is run like a mafia gang. most of the public officials are corrupt. it is common for local police departments to run the parish as if it is their little kingdom. drug dealing by the police departments is common and the feds are constantly breaking up these operations.

so what happened in louisiana might be a little different than say ohio or idaho....

lousiana has always been 'separate' from the rest of the united states.
beside poverty it is just a nasty place....

Anonymous said...

This "Darin" guy sounds like a government hired disinformation spin specialist to me. I do not take him at his honesty.

Ferfal I bought and read your outstanding book and consult this blog often. Keep up the great work!

Anonymous said...

If you follow Ferfal's advice from his book to know well important people; you won't get your guns confiscated. I have a friend in New Orleans whom the cops in his parish went out of their way to watch over him and his property because he was friends with them. So if they are likely to pull this kind of thing when SHTF; PREPARE NOW!


I have a dumbass friend who got arrested in Washington DC
for having a military rifle in his trunk. Funny story. My buddy drove from California to Boston to stay with his sick mother with his car packed with his stuff. On the way he stopped in Little Rock and took a Bill Clinton tour. On his way through Washington DC early in the morning he stopped at the Lincoln memorial on a very cold day. He jumped out of his car to get a closer look and got back in freezing cold and put on the defrosters and his shirt over his head to warm up.

The windows fogged up at 6am/ California plates/ stuffed with junk. The cops had to check it out. So after finding the Bill Clinton brochures and the rifle, he was arrested on suspicion of attempted assassination of the President of the U.S.

However after a call to his good buddy, a big judge in Souther California, he was sprung and on his way with his rifle.

Circulate. Know people who can help you. Don't be a victim. Even a dumbass like my friend can do it.

Unknown said...

I can vouch for the fact that Louisiana (at least New Orleans) is a pretty rough place.

We all know the cops are corrupt, the city politicians tend to see the town as their own crime ring (though that isn't only N.O.). I'm sure there are some good guys in there but they are hard to see for all of the bad ones.

Don't judge the rest of Louisiana by New Orleans. That is like judging all of California just by looking at Berkeley.

Rollory said...

This letter didn't even need an answer.

... and yeah, that's a lot of protesting and defensiveness for no clear reason.

Anonymous said...

...and don't judge New Orleans by your last drunken night with other drunken tourist in the French Quarter. Like any other city (or rural area) there are places to avoid. DT NOLA

Anonymous said...

This really bothered me but I thank Ferfal for taking this subject head on. If you know anything about what went on before Katrina hit each level of government thought the other was doing it’s job and they weren’t, and nobody thought Katrina would be nearly as bad as it was. The White House thought if Louisiana needed help they would call, The Governor thought Nagan was watching the situation. What does this has to do with gun confiscation I’m getting to that? I believe when Katrina arrived and she looked like an ass kicker Nagan panicked. He ordered the guns confiscated, with out much thought as to what would happen after word. When word got out the lame stream media didn’t report for obvious reasons, Nagan being a politician though and though tried to spin it.

I’m not making excuses for Nagan the man should have been put on Trial for dereliction. I don’t believe in conspiracies, there’s an old saying “never assume malice when incompetence will do” New Orleans had incompetence by the tanker load. This brings up a deeper question if you’re in the National Guard or Police would you follow an order that is blatantly unlawful, and could make a bigger mess you would have to clean up, or a mess that could spin out of control.

Something to ponder.

Anonymous said...

I live in Louisiana. Guns WERE confiscated illegally. For several years after there was a double wide trailer used by the NOPD to store the seized weapons. They would not return them unless you had the original receipt and could pass a new background check. Often they would not return them at all.
There were many instances of law enforcement personnel running wild. I saw several examples with my own eyes. Many horrible stories were never covered in the press.
No one tried to take my weapons fortunately. I would likely have died in the shootout. They did it because they could; because no one stopped them.