Give back flood victims' guns

[my5cents]

The head of the RCMP has requested the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP to look into the matter.

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-st ... .htm#94669

Personally if the RCMP were searching the homes for stranded people and they found a gun on a table of leaning up against the wall, IN PLAIN SIGHT, I think they have to take some action. I just can't see "several hundred" incidents of this sort happening in a small town. Also the RCMP, having taken the weapons in this manner, should NOT conduct any type of investigation into the weapons seized, just give them back.

The problem, of course comes in if for example if there was a grenade launcher laying on the table (after all it is Alberta) .

[WhatThe]

Where do gun owners keep their weapons? Secure storage as required? In the closet or drawer? Under the bed?
Or, "out in plain sight"?

I'm just not buying this out in plain sight line, it just doesn't jive with police MO IMO.

[my5cents]

Where do gun owners keep their weapons? Secure storage as required? In the closet or drawer? Under the bed?
Or, "out in plain sight"?

I'm just not buying this out in plain sight line, it just doesn't jive with police MO IMO.

My point exactly

[Glacier]

What happens if you were cleaning your gun when the RCMP knocked on your door telling you get out? Before answering the door, you quickly lean you gun a corner. After hearing the shocking news, you forget about what you were doing because gathering your family to flee is much more pressing. If there are hundreds of gun owners, the odds are that at least a few of them a gun out when the flood hit.

[my5cents]

What happens if you were cleaning your gun when the RCMP knocked on your door telling you get out? Before answering the door, you quickly lean you gun a corner. After hearing the shocking news, you forget about what you were doing because gathering your family to flee is much more pressing. If there are hundreds of gun owners, the odds are that at least a few of them a gun out when the flood hit.

Exactly, "a few", not several hundred.

[Captain Awesome]

If I lived in a emergency area, I'd take the guns out of the safe and keep them in the open too.

Just in case.

[HoboJo]

If I lived in a emergency area, I'd take the guns out of the safe and keep them in the open too.

Just in case.

Good point. There was a wild hippo that nearly escaped....

[Omnitheo]

people here are so paranoid and emotional

The RCMP are not stealing people's guns, they're not breaking locks or actively searching for them, they were looking for stranded people, bodies, hazards, all the stuff that their job dictates.

The RCMP have held onto the guns so that their owners could reclaim them, and there have been no issues with the reclamation (so as per topic title, yes they are giving back guns, go pick them up if you were stupid enough to leave it unsecured)

Fact is, in any sort of emergency situation such as this, looting will occur. RCMP know this, and are doing their job and service to society by working to prevent it.

Imagine how different the headlines would be "Gunman in High River used stolen weapons left unsecured and ignored by RCMP"
Really, any news company, or any commenters are going to put their own spin on it. Unless you know all the facts, don't go claiming that police are breaking into people's houses, busting open their safes and confiscating any weapons they found.

Also, those quoting numbers in the thousands, could you please cite your sources? I can't seem to find anything regarding such high numbers of guns taken.

Then again it is alberta, so i wouldn't be surprised if there were thousands of people stupid enough to leave guns lying around

[my5cents]

people here are so paranoid and emotional

The RCMP are not stealing people's guns, they're not breaking locks or actively searching for them, they were looking for stranded people, bodies, hazards, all the stuff that their job dictates.

The RCMP have held onto the guns so that their owners could reclaim them, and there have been no issues with the reclamation (so as per topic title, yes they are giving back guns, go pick them up if you were stupid enough to leave it unsecured)

Fact is, in any sort of emergency situation such as this, looting will occur. RCMP know this, and are doing their job and service to society by working to prevent it.

Imagine how different the headlines would be "Gunman in High River used stolen weapons left unsecured and ignored by RCMP"
Really, any news company, or any commenters are going to put their own spin on it. Unless you know all the facts, don't go claiming that police are breaking into people's houses, busting open their safes and confiscating any weapons they found.

Also, those quoting numbers in the thousands, could you please cite your sources? I can't seem to find anything regarding such high numbers of guns taken.

Then again it is alberta, so i wouldn't be surprised if there were thousands of people stupid enough to leave guns lying around

I don't think anyone stated "thousands" of firearms. The number of firearms was stated by an RCMP Inspector as "several hundred".

I also don't think anyone on this forum is concerned with the RCMP removing firearms that they came across that were in "plain view", during their searches.

The concern is that the RCMP searched for the firearms and located them in places that WERE NOT in plain view, thus the rather large amount "several hundred".

As for : "The RCMP are not stealing people's guns, they're not breaking locks or actively searching for them, they were looking for stranded people, bodies, hazards, all the stuff that their job dictates."

- Nobody said the RCMP are "stealing people's guns"
- "they're not breaking locks" Although I have no concerns about the RCMP searching homes for people and assumed that they were somehow "breaking in", you say the RCMP weren't breaking in, then how are they getting in ?
- "or actively searching for them (guns)" How do you know this ? The number quoted by the RCMP of "several hundred" seems awfully high for gun just in plain sight, thus the concern that the RCMP are searching for guns while in the homes checking for people.

I don't think concern for the way the RCMP have conducted themselves demonstrates paranoia, just concern. The discussion seems to be fairly well thought out, polite and considerate, don't know where "emotional" enters the picture ?

[Omnitheo]

my5cents, i think you missed the other posts in this thread

[FreeRights]

What happens if you were cleaning your gun when the RCMP knocked on your door telling you get out? Before answering the door, you quickly lean you gun a corner. After hearing the shocking news, you forget about what you were doing because gathering your family to flee is much more pressing. If there are hundreds of gun owners, the odds are that at least a few of them a gun out when the flood hit.

That would still be improper storage of a firearm. Evacutation notices aren't typically "run, flee, hide" but rather, a period of time in which you're expected to be evacuated from your house.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if hundreds of people were improperly storing firearms. With that being said, during a disaster is not the time in which police should really be setting enforcement of that as a priority; I would agree if the police stumbled upon insecure firearms, and I suspect that at the conclusion of the inquiry, we'll have more information regarding whether or not these were legal seizures.

[maryjane48]

On Friday, Sgt. Patricia Neely of the RCMP told Sun News Network that some of the 539 weapons seized during the High River flooding had trigger locks. This brings into question if the RCMP broke any laws by seizing secured weapon

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/ca ... 83250.html

[underscore]

During an evacuation, a gun only secured by a trigger lock isn't really a secure gun. If a looter happens to pick that up they won't have much trouble getting a trigger lock off at a later time.

[WhatThe]

During an evacuation, a gun only secured by a trigger lock isn't really a secure gun. If a looter happens to pick that up they won't have much trouble getting a trigger lock off at a later time.

What it suggests is that the owners were responsible enough not to leave the weapons "out in plain sight" as is being suggested by the RCMP. More likely in closets or cupboards, the very place victims will be hiding and should be searched.

[underscore]

What it suggests is that the owners were responsible enough not to leave the weapons "out in plain sight" as is being suggested by the RCMP. More likely in closets or cupboards, the very place victims will be hiding and should be searched.

Some of them may have been, but if the RCMP were able to pick it up then a looter could have just as easily.