"Authorities" steal? Say it ain't so!

Cross posted over at the Liberty Zone. Thanks to Publicola for bringing it to the forefront of my mind.

We know the "authorities" can now steal your land with impunity, thanks to the Kelo decision. But before the Supremes decided your home wasn't really yours if Wal Mart decides it would be better suited as a Mecca of low quality shopping for the inbred...

..."Authorities" around the nation have been stealing for decades!

Publicola has brought one such despicable action to our attention today.

Apparently, an 84 year old man in Indiana shot and killed a burglar in February of this year. The District Attorney called this a justifiable homicide, but apparently, the stealing scum that pass for stellar law enforcement professionals out there in Indiana have decided that Mr. Robert Birtwhistle's gun is part of a "death investigation," and ergo, will be kept forever for their "own records."

Mr. Britwhistle is understandably upset. "I'm an easy target... I'm feeble and have no (lung capacity). ... As far as I'm concerned, they have stolen that gun."

More from Publicola:

Damn right they stole it.

See a lot of gun owners would argue that any gun used in a shooting, even a justifiable one, can morally be taken to make sure the shooting was in fact justifiable. But since it's been 5 months & the DA has already called it a justifiable shooting, not to mention Mr. Schaffer's confession, we can avoid any such arguments. They stole a gun from an 84 year old man & they are not ashamed of it.

Of course they should return the firearm to Mr. Birtwhistle immedietely. I don't mean that sometime later today they can tell him to come pick it up; I mean they should put Mr. Schaffer in a squad car (in the back of course) & have a cop drive him & Mr. Birtwhistle's firearm (with the blue lights on) to Mr. Birtwhistle's home, return it, then have Mr. Schaffer lay prostrate at Mr. Birtwhistle's feet whilst he begs forgiveness for his justification of his larceny. Then the cop should leave after escorting Mr. Schaffer off Mr. Birtwhistle's property but without offering him a lift back to clean out his desk. & the people involved should pony up a suitable sum out of their own pockets to attempt to compensate Mr. Birtwhistle for the trauama caused by their theivery. (sic)

"I can't get (that February) incident out of my mind,' [Birtwhistle] said. 'If I'm not doing something, I'm thinking about it. The main thing is, I need protection. I'm getting along fine, but I'd get along better with that gun.

"Eighty four friggin year old man has to plead for his means of defense back from the government who said he hasn't done anything wrong. Mr. Birtwhistle has a shotgun, but he prefers the pistol. Why?

"Recently, Birtwhistle has taken his grandfather's shotgun, which he's had locked away, to his bedroom for protection, but he still prefers his former weapon. 'The revolver is easier to use; it makes me feel more comfortable,' he said."

An 84 year old man is using his grandfather's shotgun as a means of defense. Now I agree that a shotgun is much better than a handgun for repelling invaders, but not if you're too infirm to work the damn thing right. Besides, we're talking about an 84 year old man's grandfather's shotgun. A conservative estimate would be that his grandfather was born 124 years ago. That'd be 1881. Let's assume his grandfather didn't acquire the shotgun in question until he was 30. That'd be 1911. (I know; a fine year for pistols.) Now a lot of firearms from around then work just fine but odds are we're talking about a single or double barrel shotgun. It was probably made well enough that with decent care it should be in fine working condition today. But we're still talking about a 7 to 9 pound shotgun that an 84 year old man would have to work.

The bastards should give the old man his pistol back. Then they should all be given a good switchin' - the kind where they have to pick out their own switch. & if they come back with a skinny little one you make them go back a bring a handful.

Deplorable. Abso-friggin-lutely deplorable. Until Mr. Birtwhistle's firearm is returned, I sincerely hope all responsible develop painful boils in embarrassing places.

Call. Write. Ask why the hell they're keeping an elderly man's property (& his preferred means of defense) contrary to all decency & morality, not to mention the law. If you wish to try to reason with them, here's the contact info & some choice bits from Indiana's Constitution

St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office
227 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Suite 1000
South Bend, IN 46601
(574) 235-9544

May I also humbly suggest that maybe a whole bunch of well-meaning gun rights supporters help this gentleman out and maybe help him purchase a weapon? It's doubtful the thieving scum in Mishawaka will listen to reason.

Just a thought.
Nicki