Philadelphia Wellness Check Results in Hysteria, Anti-gun owner Propaganda

U.S.A.-(Ammoland.com)- On 28 August, 2019, relatives of a former gun dealer called the police because they said, they were concerned the 72-Year-old man might be depressed and/or suicidal. I do not know if the man was suicidal or not, but old white men commit the largest percentages of suicides. They tend to use guns to do the deed.  The police raided the house, on the authorization of the relatives. It appears to be a nice home in a nice neighborhood. Bustleton is home to many of Philadelphia’s police officers and firefighters.

The wellness check turned into a full-blown media circus. Swat was called “to assist in clearing weapons.” The bomb squad was called. Hazmat was called. Why? Because the man involved, who had been a gun dealer, according to relatives, had a modest gun collection, some inert grenade bodies (easily and legally purchased), a smoke grenade (totally legal), some mercury (totally legal), and about a thousand rounds of ammunition. From abc.com:

According to investigators, officers encountered a 72-year-old man whom relatives expressed concern that he may be depressed or suicidal. The man was taken to the hospital for evaluation. Relatives said the man used to be a gun dealer.

Police say family members authorized them to enter the home, and upon entering, they found more than 50 guns, hundreds of rounds of ammo, 10 hand grenades, a pipe bomb and liquid mercury. The grenades are believed to be inert.

Here is the headline from cbslocal.com:

Philadelphia Police Find More Than 50 Guns, Grenades And Liquid Mercury In Bustleton Home, Officials Say

Watching some video of the raid by Philadelphia’s finest, I winced as the nice long guns were unceremoniously, dumped on top of each other in the back of a police van “to have their serial numbers checked to be sure they were legal”.  In today’s digital age, serial numbers can easily be checked in the field. The former firearm dealer had been taken to the hospital for an evaluation.

This does not require the guns to be taken from the home. Once impounded by the police, try to get your guns back, especially in Philadelphia. The mayor is notoriously biased against gun ownership. The modest collection of pistols, rifles, and shotguns, say, 55, as the number was over 50, and almost certainly less than 60, or the reports would have said “more than 60”, is likely worth 20-30 thousand dollars. It might take more than $30,000 in lawyers fees to fight the city to have the guns returned. The city will be using other people’s money, and the city attorney’s to prevent the return of the guns.

50-60 guns is a modest gun collection.  Many people have hundreds of guns. A thousand rounds of ammunition is only 20 rounds per gun. It could be two bricks of .22 ammunition that sells for less than $40, total.

Hopefully, the rule of law will be followed, and the guns returned immediately if the former gun dealer is not adjudicated as a threat to himself.  Proving your self to not be a threat to yourself, is not clear cut and obvious. Some in our society would say merely being old, white, male, and a gun owner shows you to be unfit to have guns.

It only takes one relative who is disgruntled or overly cautious to create this nightmare for the former gun dealer.

In this case, it was the police who turned an ordinary welfare check into a media, anti-gun ownership circus.

If the police cannot, at a glance, tell that an inert grenade body, without fuse or filler, is *not* a grenade, they are incompetent. If they are saying a piece of pipe with, or without endcaps, if there is no explosive filler or fuse, is a “pipe bomb” they are incompetent. If they feel the need to call a hazmat team because someone owns a bottle of mercury, which has numerous legal uses, and is completely legal to own, they are incompetent.

Worse, much worse, is the possibility the police are *competent*, but in this case, and others like it, are malicious in order to secure media propaganda and political kudos. They know the guns, inert grenade bodies, ammunition, and mercury are legal, but see a great opportunity to grandstand, create a media circus, and gain political credit from a rabidly anti-gun ownership mayor.  That seems to be the attitude of Chief Inspector Scott Small, in the video.

I do not know Inspector Small. Maybe he really is as clueless as he would be required to be, to avoid the perception as a politically correct party apparatchik.

This country has a serious problem of legal firearms theft from gun owners, by police departments.

I hope it is not happening in this case. I would love to be proven wrong.

Maybe, in a few days, we will see a followup where the former gun dealer was found competent, all his guns and legal possessions are returned, at no cost to him, and the police offer an apology for overreacting, but, of course, claim it was all in concern for his safety. Or, if he is not found competent, the guns are turned over to his relatives or fiduciary, to be cared for as the substantial assets they are.

I will not be holding my breath.  The suspicion of potential suicide should not override our Constitutional rights. The suspicion of relatives should not trump all the careful protections provided for in the Constitution, yet that is precisely what is happening. It may take a Supreme Court case to stop this insanity.

Who knows? One or two more Supreme Court appointments by President Trump, and it could happen.


About Dean Weingarten:Dean Weingarten

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30-year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.

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Deplorable Bill

South of Phoenix there is/was an officer who’s initials are M.R. who, for years, has/had the habit of when stolen guns were found of keeping them himself. He did this kind of thing for years. This happened to a friend of mine. My friend’s house was broken into and several firearms were stolen during the break in. M.R., the officer in charge, called and told him his stolen weapons were found but he did not return them, he kept them for years until my friend happened to talk with a sheriff from another county. That sheriff then called M.R. who… Read more »

Tionico

and PLEASE don’t forget about the MERCURY the guy had…. wonder what the dirty coppers are gonna do with THAT?

Wild Bill

@Bill, Apparently, now-a-days, accused is convicted. As to BATFE, with its long history of illegal, unethical, action, BATFE was created by a Sec. Treas. memo, and could be disbanded with a Sec. Treas. memo.

Geary

Preview of red flag laws

ras52

Geary, you got that right, this is what gun haters want.

mgkdrgn

Legal gun owners have over 300 million guns and probably a trillion rounds of ammo.

Seriously, folks, if we were the problem, you’d know it.

Xaun Loc

Note that police say “Relatives gave them permission to enter the home” — but there is no indication that these so-called relatives resided at that home. Anyone who lives in a home can give the police access to the home, but people who don’t live there have no such authority. It appears that the entire raid may have been conducted under the guise of a “wellness check” without any warrant.

Wild Bill

@XL, Anyone that lives in the home can give permission to police to the common access portions of the house or their own portion of the house.
Perhaps the old fellow should have said, They don’t have permission to give. or Officer, I withdraw permission.
Lawyers should be lining up for this one.

Tionico

I can’t speak for this poor sap that got his jhouse invaded, his priceless collection of guns stolen, and his sorry self had off to the shrinks to play silly games with him for a few days, but if that were me, sitting about home of a late evening, and that lot popped round for a “visit” and commenced to go full Rambo on me, if I HAD BEEN well enough to complain about nothing at the time, by the time that nightmare had slowed to where I could actually sit and THINK for a few minutes uninterrupted, I would… Read more »

JPM

This was done without Red Flag laws in place. Most of the infringements on the 2nd Amendment don’t need new laws to be passed. Just as in this case, the existing laws or ignoring existing laws do the same thing as a Red Flag law would do. Move out of the “Big Cities” and into the small towns and rural areas and you don’t see this sort of abuse on a regular basis if at all. It’s not the guns, it’s not the laws, it’s not the regulations, it’s the people. The criminal justice system in this country is a… Read more »

Mike Carbine

Moral of the story is don’t live in a shithole leftist city, DUH! And cut ties with any leftist fam, or you get what you get…

Circle8

This is a fine example of what happens when you live in a city run by democrats who have a mental disease. Is it against the law to have desk ornaments (inert grenades), mercury??? and the other items. If so, people get rid of your thermometers, any replicas and God knows what else. This damn place is turning into east Germany with everybody running scared blaming everyone else for your stupidity. . You damn morons may not like the president but we need to re-elect him in 2020 or the idiot COMMUNIST DEMOCRAPS will have us paying 99% taxes and… Read more »

joefoam

As with all these confiscations, only one method of killing is removed. If the relatives were so concerned, why didn’t they have a family intervention and refer the ‘threat’ for mental health screening? Even if all his guns were taken suicide is possible in many different ways. Fear and paranoia of guns is driving this ridiculous crusade. Thanks MSM, and the lawyers who are employed to get legal owners possessions back thank you as well.

Doc

Philadelphia is dominated by a mayor and a city council that has always been anti-gun. Philthy has always sought to divorce itself from state laws and create their own. The tail is adamant about wagging the dog. The religious organizations in the city have realized that gun buy backs, peace marches, and memorials don’t work. The D.A. is as hard on crime as marshmallow. So they are exerting their political will to make the mayor support de-facto “red flag” tactics. It makes good press for all involved and gives a placebo boost to the “sheep” that cower in fear. Meanwhile,… Read more »

Warlok11

You are absolutely correct, I know of cops who stole weapons, and kept them for personal use from an illegal confiscation in philly, when I worked for the mayor’s office there for 16 years ….

willyd

Do you know a Guy named BRUNO?

willyd

This is another easy strike, wasn’t it just about 2 weeks ago that a Drug Bust went bad and a criminal held Phillies Finest at bay for how many hours? But this poor guy has A**H*** relatives saying he was suicidal, and just to make have more meat they added that he was a gun dealer at one time, now he has to prove that he isn’t suicidal and hope he gets his collection back, this is one of those that I would find out which relative pulled this lever against him and it would cost them dearly, money and… Read more »

John Dunlap

This is about much more than guns. Seniors in this country are routinely victimized, sometimes by family members, but just as often by local or state government. The system is set up to facilitate it. We had a neighbor who’s family and doctor colluded to put her in a nursing home. Her home and assets were then sold off. Court officers are often involved (do a search for stories about court appointed conservators; it will be most educational). I’ve come to the conclusion, after what I’ve seen over the years, that unless you have a circle of friends and family… Read more »

willyd

John Dunlap; You must have seen it first hand, and now with the RED FLAG LAWS it makes it even easier to do!!!!!!! Almost like living in NO MANS LAND, and don’t say anything as to what you own or have!!!!!!

Stripeseven

These criminals and their conspirators have used the “Legal System” to deprive another American citizen of Constitutional Rights. Hear to tell that Title 42, USC, Sec. 1983, might have something to say about that..

MikeRoss

How the Hell can this be allowed in America? When did Philadelphia police turn into storm troopers?

Warlok11

They ALWAYS have been storm troopers and race soldiers …

willyd

If you happen to be hooked up with motor cycles you surly know about that, I’m originally from Pa!!!

willyd

They have been for years!!!!! Frank Rizzo kept it in check for years!!!!!!!!

Wild Bill

@Mike R, A long time ago. Rememmber, when Willy Williams was chief of police in Philadelphia? He had a police helicopter drop a hand grenade on top of an apartment building ostensibly to get a suspect to come out. The grenade destroyed the apartment building and burned down the rest of the block. It has been a long time.

Capn Dad

Cops….why do we need them?

Superman

Does your train of thought have a caboose?