St. Helena Sheriff, Ineffective At Stopping Rash Of Break-Ins, Now Threatens Citizen Patrols
It seems that St. Helena Sheriff Nathaniel “Nat” Williams has decided to re-interpret both The U. S. Constitution and Louisiana’s State Constitution and is threatening to arrest anyone who participates in armed citizen patrols organized to protect property.
Any residents of St. Helena Parish caught riding around the parish with assault weapons will be arrested, Sheriff Nat Williams warned Tuesday.
“As far as them riding around with an assault rifle, it will not be tolerated,” he said. “Somebody with an assault weapon is no different from a criminal and will be treated the same way.”
Some residents of the parish’s 6th Ward, angered by a rash of recent break-ins, have conducted informal patrols, sometimes while armed with AR-15 semiautomatic rifles, the civilian version of the U.S. military’s M-16.
“If somebody is out riding around with an assault weapon, that’s not protecting the neighborhood, that’s terrorizing the neighborhood,” Williams said.
“Anybody want to ride around their own community, that’s fine, call us,” Williams said. “But any assault weapons, they’re going to jail.”
See here what Louisiana’s Constitution has to say about it.
Article 1, Section 11 – Right to Keep and Bear Arms
The right of each citizen to keep and bear arms shall not be abridged, but this provision shall not prevent the passage of laws to prohibit the carrying of weapons concealed on the person.
And of course there is that ancient document known as the U. S. Constitution.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
It appears the good sheriff has learned his lessons well. Pander to the specific demographic you wish to attract to your stance and pummel those picking up the slack for your possible inefficiency and inability to accomplish the goal of law enforcement; crime control. It’s the responsibility of the individual citizen to ensure his (and his familiy’s) safety and by extension the safety of his neighbors if they so wish and request such participatory preventive action. No political entity has the right (after showing their inability to protect let alone serve without prejudice) to deny them the chance and right to protect themselves.
To assume the participants in neighborhood patrol are terrorists is ridiculous. This is not a matter of armed vigilantes wearing hoods and sheets, it’s a matter of citizens scared they will be victimized violently during the commission of a criminal act. This is not a throwback to racism and the pursuit of only “‘select” criminals determined by the color of skin, the nature of religious pursuit or the origins of their birth. It’s obvious the people of this parish have no faith in the response times of law enforcement as it relates to criminality in motion. The time to arm is before the assault; not at the time of injury.
There’s an old story about a man selling an old dog. He advertised it as a good, simple, tough-minded though slightly challenged “watch-dog”. When asked why he was selling such a “good” dog the owner replied: “he’s got a couple of problems the worst of which is he watched some burglars steal the entire contents of my house!”
Now if the Sheriff thinks this is a throwback to vigilanteeism: just what steps will he take to correct this belief these people have that they are under-protected? If he thinks this activity (citizen patrol) is a threat and a sign of a resurgence of such horrors as post-civil-war rconstruction, then he needs to rememer criminality knows NO race, creed, or national origin. Violence comes from the mind and actions of the evil-doers in ny society.
Would the Sheriff care to mention just which law allows him to confiscate and prosecute law-abiding citizens using ANY weaponry to protect life and limb during a criminal intervention? Would he like to disarm all the citizens and thus assure NO endangered law-enforcement officer suffering an attack by a superior armed foe can be aided by an armed and comepetently trained citizen?
Maybe the Sheriff needs to meet with these people, assure they are educated in the fact a Citizen may only arrest a person in the commission of a felony (and therefore not a misdemeanor) and may not detain only while under suspicion, but must observe and report the whereabouts to law enforcement officers. That would be nice.
But to demonize and threaten his constituency with arrest merely for the fact they are picking up his slack andwish to be protected while they do it is wrong. If they felt he was doing that good a job, then they wouldn’t need the guns, would they?
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KNOW YOU FIREARM LAW
most law enforcement do not the Firearm law, in this state. but if you have firearm you need to know it.
there are 165 law that cover Firearms in LA. but for the most part you need to know 20 of them. but also look in to the parish rule (see RS 40:1796 below) it is also good to look at the state attorney general letters in firearms. you will fined a lot of you question have already been worked out.
under RS 29: 738 Emergency powers do not extend to confiscation or seizure of lawfully possessed or used firearms, weapons, or ammunition; exceptions
A. Nothing in this Chapter shall authorize the seizure or confiscation of any firearm or ammunition from any individual who is lawfully carrying or possessing the firearm or ammunition except as provided in Subsection B of this Section.B. A peace officer who is acting in the lawful discharge of the officer’s official duties may disarm an individual if the officer reasonably believes it is immediately necessary for the protection of the officer or another individual. The peace officer shall return the firearm to the individual before discharging that individual unless the officer arrests that individual for engaging in criminal activity, or seizes the firearm as evidence pursuant to an investigation for the commission of a crime.Acts 2006, No. 275, §2, eff. June 8, 2006.PART II-A. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
RS 40 §1796. Preemption of state law
A. No governing authority of a political subdivision shall enact after July 15, 1985, any ordinance or regulation more restrictive than state law concerning in any way the sale, purchase, possession, ownership, transfer, transportation, license, or registration of firearms, ammunition, or components of firearms or ammunition; however, this Section shall not apply to the levy and collection of sales and use taxes, license fees and taxes and permit fees, nor shall it affect the authority of political subdivisions to prohibit the possession of a weapon or firearm in certain commercial establishments and public buildings.
B. Nothing in this Section shall prohibit a local governing authority in a high-risk area from developing a plan with federally licensed firearms manufacturers, dealers, or importers to secure the inventory of firearms and ammunition of those licensees in order to prevent looting of the licensee’s premises during a declared state of emergency or disaster. Such plan shall be renewed on a periodic basis. The information contained in the plan shall be deemed security procedures as defined in R.S. 44:3.1 and shall be released only to the sheriffs of the parishes or police chiefs of municipalities in which the declared state of emergency or disaster exists.
C. For the purposes of this Section:
(1) ”Declared emergency or disaster” means an emergency or disaster declared by the governor or parish president pursuant to the provisions of the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act.
(2) ”High-risk area” means the parishes of Assumption, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, and Vermilion.
Added by Acts 1985, No. 741, §1, eff. July 17, 1985; Acts 2006, No. 254, §1.
You need to call the policy jury and ask for all firearm laws on the book in your parish and ask for the date of the last revision with it. if it was passed before July 15 1985 it stand. note it can not have been changed after that date.NEVER GIVE ANY PROBLEMS,when they take your firearm let them, do not give them any problems: do nothing to give them room to add any charges, when you get out just call the state police and file your complaint in righting. include the following in it, Felony “under the color of law”, malefic in office, RS 14:67.15 felony theft of a fire arm, felony theft with a gun, felony with a bullet proof vest.
remember the Sheriff has made it publicly record of what he is going to do. and boy does it help you.
Any residents of St. Helena Parish caught riding around the parish with assault weapons will be arrested, Sheriff Nat Williams warned Tuesday.“As far as them riding around with an assault rifle, it will not be tolerated,” he said. “Somebody with an assault weapon is no different from a criminal and will be treated the same way.”Some residents of the parish’s 6th Ward, angered by a rash of recent break-ins, have conducted informal patrols, sometimes while armed with AR-15 semiautomatic rifles, the civilian version of the U.S. military’s M-16.“If somebody is out riding around with an assault weapon, that’s not protecting the neighborhood, that’s terrorizing the neighborhood,” Williams said.“Anybody want to ride around their own community, that’s fine, call us,” Williams said. “But any assault weapons, they’re going to jail.”
he apparntly is incapable of enforcing any laws that was proven with the opening and continued running of the illegal immoral strip club the mansion. He has allowed St. Helena to become the wild wild west. Well its time for a new Sherriff to ride in.