Opinion
Philadelphia, PA –-(Ammoland.com)-“Philadelphia police seize massive arsenal of weapons from suicidal man’s home,” the NBC headline reads.
NBC’s national story goes onto state, “The man, who has been hospitalized, had at least 39 guns, multiple grenades and more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition, according to police.”
The story is about a 72-year-old man, whose son was concerned for his father’s wellbeing. The son reported to police that he was worried about his dad and that his father had guns.
Police responded by raiding the man’s house and seizing all his firearms even though the man’s family says he wasn’t a danger to anyone but himself.
The police said the unnamed man had 19 handguns and 20 long guns. The NBC news story said he had an “M-16 military-type rifle” which most likely was an AR-15. The other long guns consisted of hunting rifles.
The grenades referenced in the headlines were inert. The man was an avid collector of World War II memorabilia and firearms all his life. The grenades were from that era.
The “massive stockpile of firearms” was not an unusual amount to most gun owners. Collecting 39 firearms over 72 years does not seem like a lot to other firearms collectors. Although to the uninitiated 2000 rounds might seem like a lot, to gun owners, it isn’t an unusual number of bullets.
Maj Toure of Black Guns Matter and Philadelphia candidate for city council has an issue on how NBC reported the story.
“You have a 72-year old man whose family says he is an avid collector,” Toure said by phone. “A 72-year old avid collector with only 39 guns. So, one, it is not a cache. Two thousand rounds of ammo is not a lot of ammo. My last shipment from Phoenix Ammo was more than 2000 rounds. It is not a lot of ammo.”
To Toure and other gun rights advocates, it seems that the police has violated the man’s rights by ignoring due process clause of the constitution. The advocates point out that police seized the man’s firearms without charging him with a crime.
“His son called on him.” Toure said, “The question is if he is a threat to himself, why are you not just not taking him out? Why are you taking his firearms? He hasn’t been charged with anything. There has been no crime committed. They seized his personal property. That is what is actually happening.”
“There has been no due process. This is a violation of his fourth amendment rights. I think he or his family should sue. They are treating it as if they removed some crime-ridden lunatic off the streets. That is not the case. This man has not even been charged anything. I don’t care if you are pro-gun or anti-gun. The issue is that this is a violation of personal privacy and a direct disrespect for our personal property.”
According to Lieutenant Dennis Rosenbaum of the Philadelphia Police Department, unless the family petition the courts to get the firearms back, they will be destroyed. Rosenbaum seems to think the family will not request to get the guns back.
“I don’t think they’re going to be trying to get the weapons back,” Rosenbaum told NBC. “I’ve talked to the family today as of an hour ago and they just don’t want them to wind up in the wrong hands. They seem to be very nice people.”
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on leftist deplatforming methods and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, on Facebook at realjohncrump, or at www.crumpy.com.
“I’ve talked to the family today as of an hour ago and they just don’t want them to wind up in the wrong hands.”
It sounds to me like those guns are ALREADY in the wrong hands! Nothing quite like Orwellian double-speak!
The police illegally confiscated this mans property. No evidence of a crime. Now they say he must spend thousands of dollars in legal costs to retrieve his own property that was removed from his house ILLEGALLY. No wonder the LIBERAL BRAIN AND DEMOCRAT PARTY IS FU_KED UP.
With family like that you don’t need any enemies. This is following Orwell’s 1984 where the kids are told to spy on their parents and rat on them. The end result is that the parent gets vaporized and the kid goes on to live according to what big brother wants. I would, definitely, write this family out of my will and even give the inheritance to the local dog catchers. He didn’t raise them very well, did he?
The precedence of eliminating due process has been committed. We now cease being a free country.
He had an M16, most likely an AR15…. He had GRENADES (inert). The guns will be destroyed in not petitioned for return…. A media frenzy….. WHO IN THE F**K IS ROSEYBUM TRYING TO BULLSHIT !!! Most of these will go to HIM or his other OATH LYING socialist cronies. This family has ZERO idea what they are doing or losing, just the type of IDIOTS the “grabbers” are hoping for. FREE guns for the grabbers collections and friend, all at the cost of the old mans dignity and lifelong investment. HE gets nothing but the SHAFT from his family and… Read more »
The guns will be destroyed? How can that happen when their owner is still alive? The police stole them and will destroy them just like that? Philly police Lieutenant Dennis Rosenbaum needs to be in prison, not a police uniform.
Blatant violations of not only US Constitution but Pa. Constitution. Pa Constitution; Article 1 section; § 8. Security from searches and seizures. The people shall be secure in their persons, houses, papers and possessions from unreasonable searches and seizures, and no warrant to search any place or to seize any person or things shall issue without describing them as nearly as may be, nor without probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation subscribed to by the affiant. Did they have. warrant specifying the guns to be taken and why? § 21. Right to bear arms. The right of the citizens… Read more »
NBC-Never Be Correct. The first story I heard was this man was a retired owner of a gun store. He collects WWII items as a hobby. He had 2000 rounds of ammo which could be 4 boxes of 22 LR at less than $ 20 per box. BFD and where is the danger? The fact that some people in office are more of a danger to America than any such collection. As for the comments by the PD if they confiscate the guns and he has any of value or war mementos they will “disappear” before destruction. The article points… Read more »
Something tells me that the father and son do not get along. Maybe the son is suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome and does not agree with his father’s pro-gun views. In any case, the City of Philadelphia has a long history of Constitutional abuse, including abuse of civil asset forfeiture laws. That is why each and every gun owner should vigorously oppose any attempt to pass so-called “red flag” laws. They are just an excuse to trample on the rights of citizens of the republic. I would like to see stiff penalties, like mandatroy fines and jail time, for anyone… Read more »
He was hospitalized on what is called a “302” in Pennsylvania. That’s a mental health “hold” for 72 hours of observation. Doesn’t matter if he gets held involuntarily anyway.
That family needs to get those guns back, and sell them if he is incompetent. Though from the looks of the way they had them all in a pile in the back of a police van, they have LOTS of fresh scratches and dings to lower their value.