Guns Banned at 'FEMA City' Outside Baton Rouge

A Second Amendment group is expressing "shock and disbelief" that people seeking refuge at a FEMA compound outside Baker, La., may not bring their firearms with them. According to a report that aired on the Lehrer News Hour on Thursday, displaced New Orleans residents are being allowed to move into a trailer and RV compound called "FEMA City," but the conditions for residency include a ban on firearms.

"This is not acceptable." said Second Amendment Foundation founder Alan Gottlieb. He noted that the Second Amendment Foundation and the National Rifle Association recently filed a lawsuit in New Orleans, winning a temporary restraining order against the confiscation of firearms by police in both New Orleans and in nearby St. Tammany Parish.

"It doesn't matter whether this refuge community is behind a gate, or whether it is patrolled by police and security guards," Gottlieb said. "This restriction appears to be illegal under Louisiana law and the state constitution, as well as under a federal court ruling some years ago that protected firearms owned by residents in a federal public housing facility in another state.

Gottlieb said his group is making inquiries about the firearms restriction -- and who ordered it. "When we find out, we are going to pursue legal action," he said. "Being the victim of a natural disaster does not require a citizen to surrender his or her civil rights, and that includes firearms rights and property rights," Gottlieb said. "The anti -gun attitude that seems to be growing out of Louisiana's disaster had better change, or we're going to change it in court."

Source





Wotta weapon! "General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, a business unit of General Dynamics, was awarded a $14.7 million contract by U.S. Army TACOM-ARDEC for the production of 1,097 MK19 grenade machine guns. Deliveries will commence in June 2006. The MK19 is capable of firing up to 400 grenades per minute and can provide lethal fire against a variety of targets, including lightly armored vehicles and dismounted infantry. Its high lethality and broad versatility make it the prime choice of the U.S. Armed Forces as an essential weapon in both offensive and defensive operations. Program management will occur at the company's Burlington, Vt., facility. Production work will be performed at General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products' Saco, Maine, facility, which has produced more than more than 32,000 MK19 systems for the U.S. Government and its allies since 1984.