This makes me sick

[archmaker]

In NJ a family is asked to show their guns to a case worker and the police, all because someone thought the young man in the photo was in danger (11 years old). He is in the photo with a AR style 22LR glasses and big smile. A gift from his Dad to him.

Snippet:

Shawn Moore said he gave his son Josh the gun as a present to use on hunting trips. The elder Moore was at a friend's house when his wife called, saying state child welfare investigators, along with four local police officers, were at the house, asking to inspect the family's guns.

Moore said he called his lawyer Evan Nappen, who specializes in Second Amendment cases, and had him on speaker phone as he arrived at his house in Carneys Point, just across the Delaware River from Wilmington, Del.

"They said they wanted to see into my safe and see if my guns were registered," Moore said. "I said no; in New Jersey, your guns don't have to be registered with the state; it's voluntary. I knew once I opened that safe, there was no going back."

With the lawyer listening in on the phone, Moore said he asked the investigators and police officers whether they had a warrant to search his home. When they said no, he asked them to leave. One of the child welfare officials would not identify herself when Moore asked for her name, he said.

The agents and the police officers left, and nothing has happened since, he said.

"I don't like what happened," he said. "You're not even safe in your own house. If they can just show up at any time and make you open safes and go through your house, that's not freedom; it's like tyranny."

The link where I found the story:

http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Family-says-NJ-overreacted-to-boy-s-gun-photo-4368116.php

[bayjoe]

Should have told them to pound sand when they said they didn't have a search warrant

[starmac]

This sucks, but you can expect trouble from posting on facebook.

[MtGun44]

Gotta be careful in occupied territory.

Bill

[archmaker]

It is not the criminals I fear as much as the congress . . . oh wait is there a difference? :-D

[Phoenix]

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/familys-home-raided-over-facebook-photo-of-childs-rifle.html

New fox news article

[blueeyephil]

Yep and you better watch what you say on forums too, I'll bet.

How many of us got our first gun at that age? Lots of us!

[Harter66]

This is not OK. Its as bad as CA impounding them all because a household member had an issue.

Its fast reaching a point of choosing your family or your passion.....

[Epd230]

The allegation from the hotline was annonymous, thereby giving LEO/DCFS an extremely low level of enforcement ability. DCFS has a policy to follow up on any complaint and this complaint involved firearms, so the case worker invited the police along for safety's sake. Nothing wrong here.

Seems to me the their complaint was in reference to the storage of the firearms and accessiblity to the child. A simple interview from the front door would have discovered that the guns were locked in a safe. That should have been the end of it.

They choose to ask for consent to enter the home and safe. This is now a consent search and as long as the homeowner agrees, then they are well within their rights. Sounds like they left when asked to by the homeowner and his lawyer. Nothing wrong there either.

The issue comes in with their customer service skills. Sounds like they tried to intimidate their way in with empty threats. This may have come from the personal views of the LEO/DCFS workers in reference to gun laws, or simply an aggressive personality. We can never know for sure unless we interview the officials involved. The refusal of the DCFS worker to identify him/herself indicates that he/she knew they were on the line, or just plain over it.

This is an excellent example of why it is important to know your rights and how to RESPECTIVELY stand up for them. They can ask, and they will. They don't have to tell you that you have the right to refuse (depending on your state).

Knowledge is power!

[archmaker]

The problem I have is not in the protecting of the child, but that they assumed that the child was abused or in danger because the child is shown holding a gun. There is nothing in that photo, or other evidence to suggest that the child was in danger. If someone had called and falsely claimed the child was abused and heard screams from him then the questions would have been different.

The child was not questioned (from what i can gather and i highly doubt it), the parents were not questioned, the only thing that the Child case worker and the police appear to be interested in is a THING, not behaivor.

To me this strikes of tryranny and abuse of power, to further their own personal goals.

[EMC45]

That's NJ!

[Able 5]

The allegation from the hotline was annonymous, thereby giving LEO/DCFS an extremely low level of enforcement ability. DCFS has a policy to follow up on any complaint and this complaint involved firearms, so the case worker invited the police along for safety's sake. Nothing wrong here.

Seems to me the their complaint was in reference to the storage of the firearms and accessiblity to the child. A simple interview from the front door would have discovered that the guns were locked in a safe. That should have been the end of it.

They choose to ask for consent to enter the home and safe. This is now a consent search and as long as the homeowner agrees, then they are well within their rights. Sounds like they left when asked to by the homeowner and his lawyer. Nothing wrong there either.

The issue comes in with their customer service skills. Sounds like they tried to intimidate their way in with empty threats. This may have come from the personal views of the LEO/DCFS workers in reference to gun laws, or simply an aggressive personality. We can never know for sure unless we interview the officials involved. The refusal of the DCFS worker to identify him/herself indicates that he/she knew they were on the line, or just plain over it.

This is an excellent example of why it is important to know your rights and how to RESPECTIVELY stand up for them. They can ask, and they will. They don't have to tell you that you have the right to refuse (depending on your state).

Knowledge is power!

That is as well put as could possibly be....good job