NRA Sues for Guns Seized After Katrina

But arms org still seeks survivors who owned the weapons
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 27, 2007 4:25 AM CST
NRA Sues for Guns Seized After Katrina
Posters of various famous NRA members line the entrance to the National Rifle Association's 2007 convention in St. Louis. The NRA is targeting New Orleans in a federal lawsuit alleging the city's residents had their guns seized for no legal reason. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)   (Associated Press)

The National Rifle Association has filed a federal lawsuit to recover hundreds of guns seized from New Orleans residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, AP reports. The suit claims that residents were left "at the mercy of roving gangs, home invaders and other criminals" because they lost their weapons. Police say they only confiscated stolen guns or those found in abandoned homes.

The NRA intends to prove that cops illegally seized some 1,000 guns, but scattered survivors who may have owned the weapons are proving hard to track down. The organization has hired detectives to locate gun owners to testify. "Finding these folks has been a nightmare," said an NRA lawyer. (More Hurricane Katrina stories.)

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