I'm from the government, I'm here to help, mind if I come and check you guns?

[Cyclonus]

So a town selectman wants to be able to go into your home and to check if your firearms are safe. The problem? Well, LEOs don't have the authority to enter people's homes just to "inspect." Hmm, I wonder why?

Source: http://swampscott.patch.com/groups/p...afety-enforced

Selectman Barry Greenfield introduced an enforcement discussion Wednesday that he hopes will lead to the safeguarding of guns in town — keeping them out of the hands of children.

In school shootings around the country, guns have been taken from parents and used by kids, he said.

The selectman said state law requires Massachusetts gun owners to keep their firearms locked away or rendered inoperable.

The problem, he said, is that police do not have the authority, granted by a local ordinance, to enforce the law and inspect the safeguarding of guns at the homes of the 600 registered gun owners in town.

The selectman said he has spoken with Swampscott Police Chief Ron Madigan about this.

"We need the ability to enforce the state law," the selectman said.

Another selectman, Glenn Kessler, said he would like to see all the interested parties including the police chief, the town's legal counsel and citizens talk about the issue before selectmen take action.

There are civil liberty matters to consider, he said.

Selectmen took no action but appeared interested in hosting a discussion on a gun inspection proposal.

[RSGSRT]

Not to sound ignorant but wtf is a selectman?

[slamdunc]

Not to sound ignorant but wtf is a selectman?

Alderman, city councilman, village board member, etc. They are the local legislators (city level).

[JasperST]

I'm more concerned about keeping children safe from politicians.

[JustAJ]

"We need the ability to enforce the state law," the selectman said.

So what he's saying is that he wants to be able to circumvent the 4th Amendment to ensure compliance with a law very similar to the one in DC that was ruled unconstitutional several years ago. Things like this give the TFH crowd some real legitimacy. I mean, can it even be called "paranoid" when schit like this actually happens?

[ateamer]

How about the authority to inspect the homes of selectmen for evidence of untaxed income, bribes for garbage collection contracts, second wives and child porn?

[Cyclonus]

So what he's saying is that he wants to be able to circumvent the 4th Amendment to ensure compliance with a law very similar to the one in DC that was ruled unconstitutional several years ago. Things like this give the TFH crowd some real legitimacy. I mean, can it even be called "paranoid" when schit like this actually happens?

I'm a InfoWars reader, and yes, sometimes Jones looks like he has a TFH on along with myself included, but there are things his staff does report that is legit, this being one of them. That is where I got the story from, from Jones' website. And literally, you can't make this stuff up that an elected official wants to do something like this and they're serious about it.

My TFH on? Always! I question everything to the point of being ridiculed.

Of course, then you have folks like this:

[furetto7]

One of my concerns with something like this is that someone entering the home to "Check" on the guns can also conduct a more broad based search based on the Plain Sight exception. You go in to check to make sure that Mr. Smith's shotgun is locked up and while walking down the hall you glance into an open room and see what you believe to be bootleg DVD's, all the officer needs to do is stop the search, take control of the scene and get another warrant for the DVD's.

In a society becoming more interested in controlling the day to day activities of its citizens this could become a legal (but ethically questionable) way to get into some ones home to conduct a warrantless search.

[RR_Security]

Well, LEOs don't have the authority to enter people's homes just to "inspect."

Nope, and even if he's going to try calling it an "administrative inspection," I bet Selectman Alumibeanie is going to get told he'll need a warrant.
Storage of firearms by anyone who's not a licensed dealer shouldn't come under any "pervasively regulated business" exception. I doubt he's even got a shred of probable cause to apply for a warrant, so that should be another obstacle to his harebrained idea.
"It is surely anomalous to say that the individual and his private property are fully protected by the Fourth Amendment only when the individual is suspected of criminal behavior. Administrative searches are significant intrusions upon the interests protected by the Fourth Amendment, [and] such searches when authorized and conducted without a warrant procedure lack the traditional safeguards which the Fourth Amendment guarantees to the individual." Camara v. Municipal Court of San Francisco - 387 U.S. 523 (1967)

Alderman, city councilman, village board member, etc. They are the local legislators (city level).

Some towns have councilors, but many have a board of 3-5 selectmen. It might be a New England kinda thing.

In my experience working in towns in MA, NH, and ME, being elected seems to cause their brains to turn to tapioca as soon as they're sworn in. (If they even had a lick of sense to begin with.) Seems like a lot of them turn into power-hungry morons who think anything is possible just because they say so. (And because they're not the ones who will have to do it.) This appears to be such an instance.

"Do I mind if you come in and look? Let me ask you a few questions first. Do you have a warrant? No, huh? Well then, do you like sex? Do you like to travel? Okay; just take a ******* hike."

[GangGreen712]

Not to sound ignorant but wtf is a selectman?

It's position unique to New England. The board of selectmen acts as a town council and the position of first selectman is the mayor. However, generally speaking, the position of selectman holds very little power and is much less prestigious than that of mayor or councilperson. For most it's a part time job and in many cases they are unpaid positions. Most New England towns operate by direct democracy and the selectmen pretty much just add structure to the system.

[sapper324]

Police definitely have to time to go door to door to check on people's gun safes and im sure the city cops will enjoy doing it - . I'm sure citizens will enjoy waiting for the police on their designated inspection day from 7am to 6 pm and miss a day of work like they are waiting for the ****ing cable guy. Having been in the military and subject to numerous types of quarterly, semi-annual, annual etc inspections I know how these games go. Oh inspection tomorrow, great, better get in compliance. Inspection over, back to business as usual. Do people honestly think having safety inspections will make anything safer? Not to mention the obvious trampling of the 4th amendment. This guy should be pulled out in town square and beat with the stupid stick until he is smart.

Should we check everyone who is issued prescription meds just to make sure they are not selling them off or abusing them? Because I would venture to say people high on pills are responsible for a lot more deaths than ****ed off idiot teens with daddy's scatter gun or AR. Its all about safety and saving lives right?

I'd write more but I need to go clean my AR-15.

[VA Dutch]

It is quite obvious that the contempt for Second Amendment rights is exceeded by hatred of the Fourth Amendment. No surprise at all.

[vc859]

Can we make politicians go through police style psych tests with the results reported to the voters, before elections?

[pittguy1984]

As one of my instructors said at the academy, "the day the government makes us go door to door to collect guns is the day I turn in my badge".

I can't imagine people being crazy enough to put these laws in effect, and even if they somehow do then I don't know why anyone in authority would willingly enforce them. The line would be drawn if this actually happened, and people will fight back.

[DeputySC]

Yikes... Forcing registered gun owners to allow Police inside their home for 'inspections' sounds like a civil rights violation. I don't think it's a good idea.

Maybe people would like some education on gun safety. A better idea would be to stop trying to pass a law that will trample peoples rights. I would suggest the Selectman work with the local Police Dept. and come up with a pamphlet on proper gun storage and safety. Then the Selectman can go door to door passing them out. At the most arrange a gun safety/storage class and make it avaliable for town people to sign up for.