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by Stacy Washington
September 13, 2017
As the U.S. Virgin Islands braced for Hurricane Irma to make landfall, Gov. Kenneth Mapp on Tuesday authorized the National Guard to confiscate privately owned guns and ammunition, and any property it might need to respond to the disaster. This development is both unbelievably shortsighted, and wrong. Gov. Mapp’s emergency order is subject to approval by the justice department of the U.S. Virgin Islands and comes alongside assurances from President Donald Trump that every resource needed will be available to the territory.
Time after time during natural disasters, reports of looting and increased armed criminal action have been reported. The primary reason for firearms purchases is to protect self and loved ones, and this is especially important at times when the police are overtaxed and crimes of opportunity are more likely to occur. Natural disasters offer criminals an opening too sweet to resist—and once an individual or group of marauders is at your door, it’s too late to ask the National Guard for your guns back.
We saw report after report of Americans, appropriately dubbed the Cajun Navy, using private boats to rescue their neighbors and strangers from rising floodwaters in Houston because there are simply not enough police and rescue personnel to go around. Knowledge that police can’t be everywhere at once is a primary reason Second Amendment supporters own guns.
If the Virgin Islands gun confiscation scheme stems from a real lack of resources needed to protect law and order, that is an indictment of the governor, public safety officers and everyone else in government in that territory. It is unconscionable that there wouldn’t be enough ammunition available to peacekeepers for a scenario like this. Is this the first hurricane ever to hit the Virgin Islands? Isn’t hurricane preparation an endeavor at which the jurisdiction should excel?
As has been pointed out before, legal gun owners are among the most law-abiding citizens found anywhere. Leaving their guns under their own control is not only the best decision—it’s the only legal one. When rioting broke out in Ferguson, Mo., it was law-abiding Americans with private firearms that stood between looters and businesses.
Just the opposite was true in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said that the only guns allowed would be “in the hands of law enforcement.” Guns were confiscated with disastrous results: Utter lawlessness ensued, and the police were spread too thin to respond to all the mayhem. Before total gun removal was completed, the NRA stepped in, first gaining a preliminary injunction and then an order putting a stop to the ill-conceived plan. The sheriff had to return more than 1,000 firearms to their respective owners.
Attorney Stephen P. Halbrook, speaking on the Katrina confiscations, said: “NRA’s causes of action include infringement of the right to keep and bear arms, deprivation of liberty and property without due process, violation of equal protection, and unreasonable search and seizure.” Indeed, to take a lawfully owned gun when a crime hasn’t been committed is a violation of the Second Amendment.
Instead of fearfully overreacting by taking guns from law-abiding citizens, the U.S. Virgin Islands should look to Florida for its handling of emergency powers relating to the right to bear arms. A permit is required to carry a concealed firearm in Florida. However, Senate Bill 290, passed in 2015, created an exception to that law, permitting adults to carry a concealed firearm during an emergency evacuation for up to 48 hours after issuance of an evacuation order. Note that the law only applies to those who are not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm—SB 290 does not grant felons the right to carry concealed.
Passage of that law speaks volumes to the citizens of the Sunshine State—they can be certain that their elected officials want them to be orderly, prepared and protected from the menace of robbery, rape and assault during an already stressful situation. The knowledge that potential victims could be carrying concealed firearms is an excellent preventative measure for those aforementioned criminals who invariably try their hand at mayhem when people are solely focused on survival and recovery.
The immediate reaction to the U.S. Virgin Islands confiscation announcement has been swift and sure, prompting NRA Institute for Legislative Action Executive Director Chris W. Cox to offer: “People need the ability to protect themselves during times of natural disaster. This dangerous order violates the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens and puts their lives at risk.”
He couldn’t be more correct.
— U.S. Virgin Islands Politician Uses Hurricane To Order Gun Confiscation originally appeared at America’s 1st Freedom.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
