I've been gone all day doing backbreaking and stressful work I really shouldn't discuss on this blog, but I want to urge everyone to read Jeff Soyer's Weekly Check on the Bias because he's got the goods on the New Orleans gun confiscation. Truly Orwellian, as well as illegal and unconstitutional. Here's what Jeff said:

These people [New Orleans residents who are protecting their homes] are staying, too. Good for all of them. Yes, there are folks whose homes are under water and need a place to stay and it makes sense for them to go to temporary shelters, but for others, if their homes are "livable" and they want to stay, they should be allowed to and most importantly, they must be allowed their constitutional right to protect and defend themselves.

That's the kind of toughness that built this country. Indeed, it's that refusal to give in to an oppressive government that helped America gain it's independence from England in the first place.

The one thing that struck me through all of this is that all the newspapers (meaning the biggies like the New York Times and the Washington Post) that reported on the mandatory gun confiscation never issued a single editorial decrying the violation of one of the pillars of the Bill of Rights and even Louisianna's own State Constitution. You can be sure that if it was any other enumerated right, such as free speech or voting rights, their op-eds would be shouting indignation in bold print.

Earlier today, I heard NRA President Wayne La Pierre interviewed on the G. Gordon Liddy Show, and the illegal conduct by New Orleans authorities was the primary topic. Mr. La Pierre also said that the laws in a number of states provide for mandatory gun confiscation during emergencies. While the NRA is going to sponsor legislation to change this outrage, just think about it for a minute.

In an emergency is precisely the time when you need your gun! This morning I spoke with a close friend (an anti-gun Democrat) who has been watching the New Orleans events and is terrified of riots breaking out in his city the next time there's a terrorist attack. Quite sensibly, he's now thinking of buying a gun simply to increase the odds of his survival. What the hell good will it do if the armed bureaucrats come and take it away from him and leave him helpless?

What's being forgetten is that this country was founded on opposition to gun control. Again, here's Jeff:

In 1775, England's General Sir Thomas Gage attempted to disarm colonial patriots in the battles of Lexington and Concord. It resulted in "the shot heard round the world." Gage then promised the Boston Selectmen that if all citizens turn in their arms they would be permitted to leave with all their possessions. Most of them did, but they were prevented from leaving anyway. Indeed, Gage's breaking of his word helped spark the American Revolution and it was partly from the resulting outrage of firearms confiscation that many of the colonies specifically declared the right of their free men to bear arms. This right was later incorporated into what we now call The Bill of Rights.

Go read Jeff's post, and think about protecting yourself before it's too late. By "too late" I mean after civil disturbances start. If you're in a state with a mandatory waiting period, you won't be able to buy a gun, and you'll be at the mercy of whatever happens.

The Second Amendment is the one that backs up the rest of the Bill of Rights. It's insurance, for our lives, our property, and our freedom. Like all insurance, it's wise to keep it current.