Did FEMA disarm residents of Greensburg, Kansas after a tornado?
Friday, 18 May 2007 | 778 readers so far
Homeland Stupidity is reporting that FEMA was focused on disarming residents of the town of Greensburg, Kansas following the F5 tornado that hit on May 4, 2007. I don’t have any knowledge of the source, but it’s a believable story, at least from my perspective.
FEMA’s mission was to safeguard the property of businesses in the area and offer “low interest” loans to property owners affected. The National Guard was on hand along with the local police, to act as the enforcement mechanism for FEMA, while occasionally hauling debris and garbage out of the city. . . .In the immediate recovery after the storm, FEMA and local police not only worked to find survivors and the dead, but also any firearms in the city. As you pass by houses in Greensburg, you notice that some are spraypainted with how many weapons were recovered from the home. This is central Kansas, a region with extremely high legal gun ownership. Of the over 350 firearms confiscated by police immediately after the storm, only a third have been returned to their owners. FEMA and the police have systematically disarmed the local population, leaving the firepower squarely in control of the state.
Equally as disturbing are reports that offers of help from all over were turned away. Maybe they were just preparing for the President’s tour of the disaster site by helicopter. Wouldn’t want someone taking a pot shot at him.
1 May 18th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
Michael Hampton says:
Having lived in Lawrence, Kansas, I have some knowledge of the source. Despite their left leainings, they’re very close to the sort of voluntary society we’re actually all working toward having replace government functions.
And while I’ve certainly been fooled before, I will never report anything I know to be wrong.
2 May 19th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Trevor says:
I wasn’t doubting you, I just wasn’t sure about your source. I’ll take your word for it. I’m sure FEMA’s response would be that they were just “securing” the weapons temporarily until they could be returned to the owners, who, of course, weren’t allowed back into the area.
3 May 19th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
Always On Watch says:
Speaking of Homeland Security, check out this story about Faisal Gill:
http://northernvirginiastan.blogspot.com/2007/05/concerns-about-faisal-gill.html
Different aspect of the DHS’s stupidity, but something to consider just the same.
4 May 19th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Chuck says:
True story, wrong motive implied by writer. The second part of the sentence is the key:
“Of the over 350 firearms confiscated by police immediately after the storm, only a third have been returned to their owners.”
If this were truly an effort to disarm the population, that third wouldn’t have been returned. I’ve seen coverage on this from someone without anachist slanting. There was no systematic search for weapons. When weapons were found during the search for survivors and bodies, they were picked up for everyone’s safety. FEMA has nothing to do with it, local police and rescue workers were doing it long before outside help arrived.
I do partially agree with the writer on the subject of FEMA. It should go back to a supply management role instead of “boots on the ground.” Hurricane Katrina changed all that with the bogus claims that FEMA should have been there quicker. In Oklahoma, we take care of our own and only look to the Feds for money and supplies.
Also, there was no delay of relief workers. Non-essential people were kept out of the way during search and rescue and since all residents were evacuated as they were found, there was no other need for relief workers. Looting is a very real problem in these situations. If you were staying at your cousin George’s house thirty miles away, would you want strangers poking through your stuff? As people are allowed back in to clean up whatever is left of their homes, there will be volunteers right beside them helping with Salvation Army and Red Cross providing food, water, and cleanup supplies.
Chuck
5 May 20th, 2007 at 5:19 am
Trevor says:
Good comment Chuck. Thanks for contributing your thoughts. No, I wouldn’t want strangers poking through my stuff. Terminology is important here, and intent is important. If the weapons were collected by police, not confiscated, with the intent of returning them to their rightful owners, then great. It’s good to keep an eye on such events, and discuss them rationally, using the best facts we have available.
6 May 20th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Earl says:
just returned from Greensburg (grew up there)
The weapons were confiscated and those weapons that were legally owned will be returned.
The were taken so looters couldn’t get them.
There were a number of fully automatic weapons that were taken by ATF, and several stolen weapons found and these obviously will not be returned.
The author obviously has an agenda.
Earl.
7 May 22nd, 2007 at 5:23 am
Trevor says:
Earl,
We all have an agenda, so I don’t mind that, as long as the person is up front about it.
Why would the fully automatic weapons not be returned? Did the owners fail to pay the $200 tax per weapon? Maybe they just didn’t want to surrender their 4th amendment rights in exchange for a full auto?
I understand wanting to keep looters out. I understand not returning stolen weapons, and would expect prosecution whenever possible in those cases. It’s still legal (if you’re willing to surrender your constitutional rights to the feds) to own automatic firearms in many places.
8 July 2nd, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Rob says:
I was there and yes, guns that were recovered during searches were taken and only returned if they were properly registered.
Something to take note of though is that residents that were staying with friends outside of the community, were searched when leaving to make sure they had no guns.
After hearing of this, people that still were going through debris would stash their guns or take them to a friend that did not have total destruction.
After the first week they no longer did this and that is when people would take there guns out of Greensburg.
Every night just after cerfew a Helicopter would make a couple of flights around the town and then land again. I believe they were scanning the town for residents.
I used to work for a search and rescue organization when I was younger. The sherrif Dept Helicopter would attach an infra red scanner to find people. The device on the outside of the Helicopter looked a lot the same.
9 May 13th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Gun confiscation during civil unrest!!! - Page 2 - THR says:
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