Gun Owners Win One in Congress

Gun owners finding themselves in a disaster situation like Hurricane Katrina got some welcome news from Congress:

The House voted Tuesday to prevent law enforcement officers from confiscating legally owned guns during a national disaster or emergency.

Republican Rep. Bobby Jindal, the Louisiana lawmaker who sponsored the bill, said firearms seizures after Hurricane Katrina left residents unable to defend themselves.

"Many of them were sitting in their homes without power, without water, without communication,"he said."It was literally impossible to pick up a phone and call 911."

The House voted 322-99 in support of the bill. Senators voted 84-16 earlier this month to include a similar prohibition in a homeland security funding bill.

The limitation would apply to federal law enforcement or military officers, along with local police that receive federal funds.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., repeatedly called the bill"insane."

What would be insane would be leaving law abiding citizens helpless against marauding looters and thugs, and that's apparently what Nadler would prefer. In times of trouble, both in New Orleans last year, or in Los Angeles during the '92 riots, law abiding citizens were able to protect themselves and their property because they were allowed to keep their guns. I still remember the sight of Korean business owners carrying rifles patrolling their rooftops during the riot. Needless to say, their stores were not bothered.

One of the problems with mandatory gun registration is it gives authorities a list from which to work when they decide to take guns away. Of course, only the legally registered guns show up on the list - the bad guys get to keep theirs. This law will provide some protection for the good guys.