MSM: N.O. man sues city over gun seizure

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(AP) – A New Orleans man is suing the city and its district attorney for refusing to give back a gun that police seized when he was arrested on drug and firearms charges that were later dropped.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana filed the federal lawsuit Thursday on behalf of Errol Houston Jr., who was arrested last year following a traffic stop. The lawsuit says the district attorney’s office declined to prosecute Houston but has refused to return his .40-caliber firearm.

Houston’s lawsuit claims District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro has instituted a policy that firearms seized during arrests will not be returned to their owners. The ACLU says that policy violates Houston’s constitutional rights.

“Mr. Houston has done nothing wrong. There are no criminal charges against him. His firearm, which he is and was entitled to carry, has been confiscated for no reason,” ACLU of Louisiana executive director Marjorie R. Esman said in a statement.

Cannizzaro says his office decides on a “case by case basis” whether to return confiscated guns.

“There is no policy that we will not return weapons,” he said.

Cannizzaro said he doesn’t know why one of his predecessors refused to prosecute Houston, whom he said had a gun under the floor board of his car when police stopped him.

“I have a serious question as to why this charge was refused in the first place,” he said.

Police Superintendent Warren Riley also is named as a defendant in the suit.

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3 thoughts on “MSM: N.O. man sues city over gun seizure”

  1. What amazes me, is that all my life the Democrats were accused of trying to “take your guns,” but in reality when it actually happened, the Bush and the Republicans were in charge.

    What amazes me even further, is that people still think there is a difference between Dems and Repubs.

    WE NEED A SECOND PARTY!!

  2. What I hope most of all is that, whether or not this man gets this particular gun back, he gets another one (or more) and has it locked, loaded, and pointed in the right direction when the inevitable comes.

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