Cops
Attempt to Seize Veteran’s Guns With No Warrant, But He Refuses to Submit and
Wins, by Rachel Blevins, 7/16/18.
When police attempted to intimidate his family and
seize his guns without a warrant, a veteran father stood up for his constitutional
rights and refused.
Millstone,
NJ – An Iraq War Veteran was shocked when he received a call from his wife
telling him that police officers were at their home, claiming that they needed
to seize his legally owned firearms, even though he had done nothing wrong and
the officers had no warrant.
Leonard
Cottrell Jr., 40, is the latest citizen to be affected by a series of new gun
regulations in the state of New Jersey—which is already known for having strict
gun control laws—even though he did not break any laws, and all of the firearms
he owned were registered with the state.
The disabled
U.S. Army veteran, who served three tours in Iraq, told NJ.com that the ordeal began when
his 13-year-old son was reported for making a comment about the increased
security at his school.
Even though
Cottrell’s son did not threaten anyone, the school decided to investigate the
report by sending police officers to the family’s home, instead of simply
calling the boy’s parents and having a meeting in the principal’s office to
clarify whether it was a serious matter.
The officers
waited until 9:30 p.m. on June 14 to confront the family, and Cottrell said
that he was at work when he received a panicked call from his wife. She
complied with the officers’ request to enter the home and search the
13-year-old boy’s room, where they found no weapons.
The officers then inquired about the number of weapons that
were in the home, and wanted to seize the shotgun and pistol owned by Cottrell
as part of their “investigation.”
However, Cottrell then questioned whether the officers had a
warrant, and when they admitted that they did not, he told them that he would
not allow them to take his firearms, as their request was clearly in violation
of the Fourth Amendment.
“No one from the state was going to take my firearms without due process,”
Cottrell told NJ.com.
In response to a request for comment on the incident, Sgt.
First Class Jeff Flynn simply said “troopers
responded to Mr. Cottrell’s residence in reference to the report of a possible
school threat,” and that “it
was determined that Mr. Cottrell’s weapons did not need to be seized.”
He did not admit that the officers entered the Cottrell family’s residence
without a warrant and attempted to seize the firearms without establishing
probable cause.
Leonard Cottrell and his family were treated like criminals
because his 13-year-old son apparently made a comment about the increased
security at his school, and instead of going directly to Cottrell and his wife
to handle the matter, the school called the police, and immediately barred the
boy from returning to Millstone Middle School, and banned him from attending
the school’s graduation.
The officers then inquired about the number of weapons that
were in the home, and wanted to seize the shotgun and pistol owned by Cottrell
as part of their “investigation.”
However, Cottrell then questioned whether the officers had a
warrant, and when they admitted that they did not, he told them that he would
not allow them to take his firearms, as their request was clearly in violation
of the Fourth Amendment.
“No one from the state was going to take my firearms without due process,”
Cottrell told NJ.com.
In response to a request for comment on the incident, Sgt.
First Class Jeff Flynn simply said “troopers
responded to Mr. Cottrell’s residence in reference to the report of a possible
school threat,” and that “it
was determined that Mr. Cottrell’s weapons did not need to be seized.”
He did not admit that the officers entered the Cottrell family’s residence
without a warrant and attempted to seize the firearms without establishing
probable cause.
Leonard Cottrell and his family were treated like criminals
because his 13-year-old son apparently made a comment about the increased
security at his school, and instead of going directly to Cottrell and his wife
to handle the matter, the school called the police, and immediately barred the
boy from returning to Millstone Middle School, and banned him from attending
the school’s graduation.
The bills
include Assembly Bill 2761, which reduced the made all ammunition
magazine that holds more than 10 rounds illegal; Assembly Bill 1217, which authorizes “gun violence restraining orders” and firearm seizure warrants; Assembly Bill 1181, which requires firearms seizure
when it is determined that suspects post a threat to themselves or
others; Assembly Bill 2757, which requires background
check for private
gun sales; Assembly Bill 2758, which restricts regulations
defining justifiable need to carry handgun; and Assembly Bill 2759, which prohibits possession of
ammunition that qualifies as “capable of penetrating body armor.”
While an
innocent 13-year-old boy was painted as a dangerous criminal with no evidence
against him, a convicted felon who spent years in prison on aggravated
manslaughter charges was able to access a handgun, which he used to
unleash a hail of bullets on a crowd at an arts festival in Trenton, New
Jersey, last month, and 22 people were injured as
a result—which should raise questions about how much New Jersey’s strict gun
laws are actually working to “protect the public.”
Article
posted with permission by The Free Thought Project
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody
GA Tea Party Leader
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