Criminally insane.. but it's not what you think.

From Alphapatriot comes this report of a man whose family claimed he was threatening suicide (presumably because he has been battling a life-threatening illness). The response from the police? Invade his home, forcibly put him into a psychiatric hospital for "evaluation", confiscate all his firearms, and destroy his reloading supplies because the police don't know how to store them properly. The man's firearms and ammunition are being "held until prosecutors and the county attorney can determine whether Wilkinson is stable enough to have them back".

I have some questions for the government officials involved in this case:

What happened to "innocent until proven guilty"?
What happened to "due process of law"?
What happened to "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation"? Oh, never mind, Kelo v New London happened to that one.

Oh, and for anyone who was ever inclined to trust either the police or the press, I suggest you read these two accounts about the seizure. They ran in the same paper, on successive days:

From the first account:

Authorities seized several assault rifles, submachine guns, ammunition and explosives from a former Army soldier's property and said they believed he was a threat to the community. They also found extremist literature, including a book written and signed by Randy Weaver, who gained fame after waging the Ruby Ridge standoff against federal authorities in 1992, the sheriff said. The weapons seizure at Jack Wilkerson's home was likely the largest in Delaware County history, Sheriff George Sheridan said. Police recovered an estimated $30,000 worth of guns, 2,000 pounds of ammunition and 436 pounds of explosives. "We're talking mortar shells, artillery rounds, tank rounds and projectiles," Sheridan said.

For some reason, those "assault rifles, submachine guns, mortar shells, artillery rounds, tank rounds, and projects" are all missing from the followup story. Either they never existed or the police found out they were perfectly legal to own.

The sheriff's department bomb squad spent four hours blowing up the explosives at a shooting range Sunday but saved the ammunition in case it would be necessary for future investigations or court proceedings, Sheridan said.

The police bomb squad "spent four hours blowing up the explosives", doing something that gun enthusiasts pay good money and travel long distances to do.

The "explosives" consisted of gunpower, used in reloading ammunition (something many active shooters do to reduce their costs). They were removed because the local cops didn't think it was safe to store them near space heaters; never mind that space heaters generally aren't operated during the summer and that the man had been reloading for years without incident.

The man has not been charged with anything. He was "despondent" because he might have had cancer. Seems like a good reason to be despondent to me, and frankly, it's none of our business whether he prefers to commit suicide rather than face a long, drawn out battle with cancer. One of his family members asked police to "check on him", and I bet that family member regrets making that request.

The "extremist literature" allegation is frankly embarassing, as literature presents no legal basis for any action or charges under the First Amendment. Besides, the "extremist" author, Randy Weaver (see Ruby Ridge), had federal agents kill his wife and son in front of his eyes while investigating him on baseless, trumped-up charges as part of an intimidation campaign.

Smart money says that the police saved the ammunition not "in case it would be necessary for future investigations or court proceedings", but rather because they might have to give it back when they find out it's perfectly legal.

Remember, folks, the police are NOT your friend. Do not ask them to "check on" your friends or family, even if you are sincerely concerned -- perhaps especially if you are sincerely concerned! The family that did so in this case has made things substantially worse for the person they were purportedly concerned about.

UPDATE: FreedomSight has more, including the law most likely used in this case.

Posted on 2005-06-24 00:46:01.0 by matthew@triggerfinger.org

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