USA – -(Ammoland.com)- “To appease everybody, I had my firearms stored someplace else,” New Jersey gun owner and Army veteran Leonard Cottrell Jr. told New Jersey 101.5 after a June 14 visit from State Police,. “That way, during the course of the investigation, my son doesn’t have access to them and it’s on neutral ground and everything and everybody’s happy.”
Cottrell was recalling state troopers showing up at his door to confiscate firearms after his 13-year-old son was overheard discussing lax school safety with a friend.
Indoctrinated by a pervasive snitch culture — one that never seems to deter the blatantly obvious demonic nutjobs — the eavesdropping student told his parents, who told school administrators, who in turn called the cops. (Note “If you see something, say something” carries risks of its own – if you report the wrong person, you could end up smeared as a “hater.”)
“Cottrell said he made it very clear to the police that he was ‘not going to willingly give up my constitutional rights where there’s no justifiable cause, no warrants, no nothing,’” the report continued. Despite that, his home is now a “gun free zone” and that has been publicized by the media. He has, in fact, willingly ceded those rights, and by his own words in order to make authorities “happy.”
Before judging him for that, consider the environment that is New Jersey. Then consider the overwhelming force the state can bring to bear, and its predisposition to using it, especially if it’s to enforce citizen disarmament. It’s easy to anonymously declare “Molon Labe” on the internet. In meatspace, resistance is more effective when the aggressor doesn’t get to dictate the time and place, especially if that place is your home and you have family inside.
“[T]he troopers conducted an investigation and determined there was no need for the weapons to be seized,” New Jersey State Police spokesman Major Brian Polite stated. It sounds like Cottrell moved the guns offsite as a preemptive protective measure to preclude an escalation should the cops change their minds. But I doubt “everybody’s happy.”
Cottrell can’t be happy, not really. And neither is the State of New Jersey, which based on its actions wants everybody’s guns – at least those in private hands. They’ve made it clear they’ll keep moving toward that goal, one Intolerable Act infringement at a time.
This is the reason I support Oath Keepers. We are fast approaching a time where, depending on the state you live in, confiscation orders are increasingly likely. While many in “law enforcement” will no doubt obey such orders, it is to our advantage to encourage those who will not, and to get others thinking about the oath they took when they became sworn officers, and what that really requires of them.
Appeasing gun-grabbers, generally couched as “compromise,” is impossible. It’s like throwing a scrap of flesh to a circling pack of jackals and expecting them to be sated and leave you alone — instead of sensing opportunity and fear, and moving in closer.
That’s an analogy I wish more of our “gun rights leaders” in state and national groups would act like they understand.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating / defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament.
In addition to being a field editor/columnist at GUNS Magazine and associate editor for Oath Keepers, he blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
Voting the Dems out is a wonderful idea. We have to be vigilant at the polls as it has become obvious in recent years that they are not above any firm of cheating. Changing the rules to allow felons to vote, to allow non-citizens, illegal or legally here, to vote, counting multiple votes from the same person with residences in more than one state, counting votes cast by people long dead and buried, et al. And then making imbecilic statements to the effect that “dead people have a right to make decisions, too”. Anytime they discover they aren’t winning “the… Read more »
Your right samadams. Every person who ownsand with a fire arm and can use it needs to be ready and with plenty of ammo. and not the little 22’s a real fire arm 308-30/06-6.5 grendal 6.5 creedmore you get the pi.
@Wild Bill. I agree with you, Bill. It’s afterward I worry about. When everyone leaves. I always have Ruby Ridge in the back of my mind. All those agent snipers in gilly suits hiding in the woods. Look what they did. The local Sheriff couldn’t believe there were so many of them when they lined up on the road out after the killing stopped. Then the 51 days in Waco. Now Keystone pipeline trials. State and local police including some from out of state. Plus a private army to beat the crap out of protesters. All we have is the… Read more »
SIEG HEIL New Jersey; Going to go take lessons from Castro’s CUBA and install neighborhood snitches and jack booted thugs like Hitler to seize peoples COnstitutionally LEGAL firearms ?
The commenting process (and somebody’s control of it) is getting more interesting by the day. I’ve left three replies to other’s comments here in the past half hour, only one of which has shown up. Additionally, as soon as I hit the post button, the page refreshes, and instead if “14 comments”, only TWO show up, even after refreshing again. Revisiting David’s blog, then re-linking showed the correct number [part edited, NOT by me ] let’s see if this comment makes it through. A copy will be posted (and emailed) to David’s site in case it doesn’t. Note: If this… Read more »
Bad part that I see about a lot of this is the fact that you don’t hear about any of it in the news or local paper only on the web and sites like this, people out of the loop don’t realize what’s going on behind their backs ,it’s time to take back control of our country.