California Seizes Guns as Owners Lose Right to Bear Arms

[dmcowen674]

3-12-2013

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...wners-lose-right-to-bear-arms.html?cmpid=yhoo

California Seizes Guns as Owners Lose Right to Bear Arms



Wearing bulletproof vests and carrying 40-caliber Glock pistols, nine California Justice Department agents assembled outside a ranch-style house in a suburb east of Los Angeles.



They were looking for a gun owner who’d recently spent two days in a mental hospital.


They knocked on the door and asked to come in.



About 45 minutes later, they came away peacefully with three firearms.



California is the only state that tracks and disarms people with legally registered guns who have lost the right to own them, according to Attorney General Kamala Harris. Almost 20,000 gun owners in the state are prohibited from possessing firearms, including convicted felons, those under a domestic violence restraining order or deemed mental unstable.

 

[dmcowen674]

It's easy to make up false probable cause.

 

[monovillage]

Something of a repost based on this story.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gun-recovery-20130219,0,5853388.story

By law, Alexander Hernandez should have surrendered his gun to the state of California three years ago after a judge issued a restraining order against him for alleged domestic violence.

He didn't.

So one night recently , when the 26-year-old was at home in Whittier with his toddler, eight armed agents from the California Department of Justice banged on his door and took it from him.

Agents found the loaded .45-caliber handgun in a safe by his bed. Hernandez, who told the agents he had forgotten that he was supposed to turn in the weapon, was arrested on suspicion of illegally possessing a handgun, records show.

After assuring that the child had a baby-sitter, the agents drove off into the night in search of more illegal guns. Their quest took them across the San Gabriel Valley, from a retirement home to a gated community to a small house with rosebushes in front. In the living room of that house, a mother wept as agents arrested her son. A conviction for misdemeanor battery made it illegal for him to continue possessing his four guns.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2302960

 

[ivwshane]

What's the problem? The guy had a history of mental problems. Are you implying his medical history was made up?

You need more tin foil if that's what you are saying.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

What's the problem? The guy had a history of mental problems. Are you implying his medical history was made up?

You need more tin foil if that's what you are saying.

That wasn't the reason given by the state unless you see otherwise.

 

[ivwshane]

That wasn't the reason given by the state unless you see otherwise.

What was this then?

They were looking for a gun owner who’d recently spent two days in a mental hospital.

 

[cybrsage]

Remember, if you want the government to destroy you in the future, seek mental help today. The government has now effectively made seeking mental help akin to being a leper.

 

[Doppel]

repost

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

What was this then?

I thought it was because of his misdemeanor

 

[Oldgamer]

3-12-2013

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...wners-lose-right-to-bear-arms.html?cmpid=yhoo

California Seizes Guns as Owners Lose Right to Bear Arms



Wearing bulletproof vests and carrying 40-caliber Glock pistols, nine California Justice Department agents assembled outside a ranch-style house in a suburb east of Los Angeles.



They were looking for a gun owner who’d recently spent two days in a mental hospital.


They knocked on the door and asked to come in.



About 45 minutes later, they came away peacefully with three firearms.



California is the only state that tracks and disarms people with legally registered guns who have lost the right to own them, according to Attorney General Kamala Harris. Almost 20,000 gun owners in the state are prohibited from possessing firearms, including convicted felons, those under a domestic violence restraining order or deemed mental unstable.

Obviously you have a guy with some mental issues, and I for one don't think someone like that needs to own a gun (but that really depends what his issues are too). What I don't understand is why the swat team tactics? I mean that has to be a bit overkill in my opinion.

What happened to the days of just sending two agents or police over regular style?

One thing that does concern me though is a lot of people have to see a Dr. or Counselor from time to time, doesn't necessarily make them mentally ill... so are the police going to start using this as an excuse every time someone goes to see a shrink, or feels they are depressed and needs to go to the hospital? Depression in itself doesn't necessarily mean your mentally ill.

Are they going to start taking away all veterans firearms who suffer from PTSD and anxiety from their time at war?

I mean, the line here can get blurred. To me, someone who has schizophrenia, bipolar, or delusional personality syndrome, or autism would be more likely candidates.

I think its interesting with all this focus on the mentally ill now, that not one state has done anything to increase funding for psychiatric hospitals, nor has any Government official enacted any legislation with regard to insurance companies and medicare/medicaid to increase funding for those with mental illnesses, or to expand facility care, etc. As it stands now if your mentally ill and on medicare, your severely limited to the amount of hospitalization time, or in patient care, or doctor visits, and in most cases they push more medication on the patient instead of extended intensive counseling. Counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy has a better proven track record than most of the psychiatric medications. Not only that, most insurance companies as well as medicare don't allow a person to see a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist for counseling anymore, they have dumbed that down to assistants, nurses, and social counselors who have far less training and know how.

Ok off my rant.

 

[sm625]

So a person who needs help is faced with 2 choices:

1. Seek help from a professional, which in most cases results in better mental health. So when is this going to include trips to the psychiatrist too? What happened to doctor patient confidentiality? Where does this end?

2. Keep the problem to him/herself until something breaks and something really bad happens.

It is obvious which scenario this corrupt slimy government wants. I just hope that when these people snap after being forced to hide their mental state for so long, they snap someplace where it hurts these frickin scumbag nannycrats really bad.

 

[SaurusX]

What I don't understand is why the swat team tactics? I mean that has to be a bit overkill in my opinion.

What happened to the days of just sending two agents or police over regular style?

The way they see it as that they spent a lot of money on that cool gear and now they need to put it to use. Also, it's more fun to run around and play GI Joe.

 

[Incorruptible]

Thank you to the idiots who support big government. This is why we have to obey the Constitution and have small government so peoples rights dont get trampled away like this

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Obviously none of you actually read the article as it was a woman who was hospitalized.

They had better luck in nearby Upland, where they seized three guns from the home of Lynette Phillips, 48, who’d been hospitalized for mental illness, and her husband, David. One gun was registered to her, two to him.

“The prohibited person can’t have access to a firearm,” regardless of who the registered owner is, said Michelle Gregory, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office.

Involuntarily Held

In an interview as agents inventoried the guns, Lynette Phillips said that while she’d been held involuntarily in a mental hospital in December, the nurse who admitted her had exaggerated the magnitude of her condition.

Todd Smith, chief executive officer of Aurora Charter Oak Hospital in Covina, where documents provided by Phillips show she was treated, didn’t respond to telephone and e-mail requests for comment on the circumstances of the treatment.

Phillips said her husband used the guns for recreation. She didn’t blame the attorney general’s agents for taking the guns based on the information they had, she said.

“I do feel I have every right to purchase a gun,” Phillips said. “I’m not a threat. We’re law-abiding citizens.”

No one was arrested.

“It’s not unusual to not arrest a mental-health person because every county in the state handles those particular cases differently,” Gregory said by e-mail. “Unless there’s an extenuating need to arrest them on the spot, we refer the case” to the local district attorney’s office, she said.

I do wonder if the woman will try to get reevaluated and seek to get her right to bear firearms restored.

 

[Oldgamer]

Obviously none of you actually read the article as it was a woman who was hospitalized.


I do wonder if the woman will try to get reevaluated and seek to get her right to bear firearms restored.

It doesn't matter if it is a woman or a man, honestly I really question they way they are going about this.

These are scary times..

 

[Oldgamer]

Quote: Lynette Phillips said that while she’d been held involuntarily in a mental hospital in December, the nurse who admitted her had exaggerated the magnitude of her condition.

This is where real concern is. A nurse is evaluating her, not a professional psychiatrist, and what happens if someone does exaggerate what is really going on with a person? There is no way you can counter that shit..

 

[waggy]

know a gun owner? want him to get rid of them? claim he is thinking of suicide. many areas have it that anyone accused of suicide spends time in the hospital for it.

now they can' town guns.

 

[mizzou]

people with mental problems SHOULD NOT OWN FUCKING WEAPONS!! Take their knives to and leave them only with sporks too.

Honestly, I'm sure there is a caveat that they can only take them for "Safe keeping" and at some point the property will have to be released, but let's hope that is pending a clean bill of health.

know a gun owner? want him to get rid of them? claim he is thinking of suicide. many areas have it that anyone accused of suicide spends time in the hospital for it.

as long as everyone does their job right, it shouldn't be that easy. If someone is cool and calm and has their shit together and says "Dude, I don't know what the fuck you are talking about, I barely know that person or don't know them at all." They will not get a trip to the hospital for evaulation. Then they will talk to you who called it in, and if you don't have your shit together you might get a ticket for filing a false report.
Now someone who is lazy.....OK i'm sure it happens

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

people with mental problems SHOULD NOT OWN FUCKING WEAPONS!! Take their knives to and leave them only with sporks too.

Honestly, I'm sure there is a caveat that they can only take them for "Safe keeping" and at some point the property will have to be released, but let's hope that is pending a clean bill of health.

as long as everyone does their job right, it shouldn't be that easy. If someone is cool and calm and has their shit together and says "Dude, I don't know what the fuck you are talking about, I barely know that person or don't know them at all." They will not get a trip to the hospital for evaulation. Then they will talk to you who called it in, and if you don't have your shit together you might get a ticket for filing a false report.
Now someone who is lazy.....OK i'm sure it happens

Define "mental problems"

 

[mizzou]

Define "mental problems"

I hear voices.
I am John, Victor is not here right now.
I'm trying to hide from the Chinese Government. They follow me in their Hello Kitty Crossovers.
This pill bottle is for my schizophrenia, I haven't refilled it since 2008.
I'm going to kill/harm myself, because of xxxxxxxxx.
I'm going to kill/harm xxxxx, because of xxxxxxxxx.

etc.... etc....

 

[bignateyk]

Why are you always the first to reply to your own post within seconds of your original post?

 

[IGBT]

a domestic violence conviction is a disqualifying misdemeanor. You can no longer own or possess fire arms.

http://www.topgunfirearms.com/newcagun.htm

Firearms Prohibiting Misdemeanors

Any person convicted of any of the following misdemeanors is prohibited from owning a firearm in CA for 10 years following the conviction.

Threatening public officers, public employees, school officials, public appointees, judges or their staff or immediate families.
Intimidating witnesses or victims.
Attempting to take a firearm away from a police officer.
Unauthorized possession of just about any kind of weapon in a state or local public building or at a public meeting.
Possessing a loaded firearm within the state capitol or legislative offices.
Possessing a loaded firearm within the governor’s mansion or the residence or any other constitutional officer.
Providing a firearm to a person for use by a criminal street gang.
Assault or battery on anyone.
Assault with a stun gun, taser, deadly weapon, or any instrument likely to produce great bodily injury.
Shooting at an inhabited dwelling or just plain grossly negligent discharge of a firearm.
Willful infliction of physical injury on a spouse, former spouse, cohabitant, former cohabitant, or the mother or father of a child of one of these people.
Violation of a court order against harassment, disturbing the peace, threats or acts of violence, or violating a domestic protective/restraining order.
Drawing, exhibiting, or using any deadly weapon other than a firearm for any reason except self-defense.
Drawing or exhibiting a firearm in the presence of a police officer.
Purchasing, selling, manufacturing, shipping, transporting, distributing, or receiving an imitation firearm. This does not include obvious toys.
Inflicting serious bodily injury by drawing or exhibiting a firearm or any other deadly weapon.
Threatening to commit any crime that might result in the death or great bodily injury to another person.
Possessing a firearm in a school zone or on school grounds.
Willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly following or harassing another person (stalking).
Carrying a loaded firearm with the intent to commit a felony.
Possessing any deadly weapon with the intent to assault anyone.
Allowing a firearm in or to be discharged from a motor vehicle that you own or are driving (no matter who in the vehicle has possession of the firearm).
Criminal possession of a firearm in public while wearing a mask.
Unauthorized possession, transportation, manufacture, or sale of a machinegun.
Possession of armor piercing ammunition.
Carrying a concealed or loaded firearm or any deadly weapon or wearing a police uniform while picketing. (Does this include real cops?)
Bringing or sending contraband into or possessing contraband within a juvenile or youth authority institution. (Contraband could be a pack of cigarettes)
Firearms prohibitions as specified in sections 8100, 8101, & 8103 of the Welfare and Institutions Code (You gotta look this up yourself