sesshomaru's Journal: The End of the Second Amendment

With the absolute, abysmal failure of the government at all levels in New Orleans the perfect test of the value of the Second Amendment has come about. People, left at the mercy of the storm, its aftermath and roving gangs of looters (at least according to the media), needed to take their survival into their own hands. That included self-defense in a situation where the government proved itself too incompetant to defend life, liberty and property.

Now, of course, it has been conclusively proven that for both major parties, the Second Amendment is a quaint holdover from the 18th century, with no force of law. "Soldiers and police confiscated guns from homeowners as they went house to house, trying to clear the shattered city of holdouts because of the danger of disease and fire."

I also have to wonder at the much vaunted slogan, "They can have my gun when they take it from my cold, dead hand." Let's make this clear, the police don't care whether the weapons are "legal" or "illegal".

P. Edwin Compass, the superintendent of police, said as little force as necessary would be used but that staying is not an option. Anyone with a weapon, even one legally registered, will have it confiscated, he said.

"No one will be able to be armed," Compass said. "Guns will be taken. Only law enforcement will be allowed to have guns." -- Holdouts leaving New Orleans (Should be, Holdouts Being Forced Out of New Orleans.)

Of course, the whole point of gun registration is so they can take your gun when you actually need it, especially when you may need it to defend yourself against the Feds:

I must have been quite a sight alone out there on the darkened New Orleans street wearing a headlamp and holding a cell phone at an odd right angle, the only way I could get it to work. I had just been placed on hold.

"I'm a journalist working for The San Francisco Chronicle," I said quickly, trying to remain calm. "I'm out here because the signal ...."

"Step out here!" he interrupted, and his tone suggested that the consequences for not stepping out into the street would be dire. I stepped out.

and further down in the article...

As I looked up, they seemed to be taking firing positions, men on either flank, two more behind cars and the man in the middle shining the light. They were a New Orleans police SWAT team, and their guns were pointed directly at me. I made the decision not to slap at the mosquito that was siphoning blood out of my arm.

"Do you have ID?" I was asked. I tried to explain that it was in the car and the keys were in the house. "Do you live here? What are you doing here?" The questions came rapid fire, under the threat of a bullet. -- On New Orleans' dark streets, patrols assume the worst Martial law and poor communication lead to tense situation for one reporter