http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/01-17-2007/0004507833&EDATE=
SAF Files Motion to Hold Nagin, Riley in Contempt
disregard by the City of New Orleans, the Second Amendment Foundation has
filed a motion to hold Mayor Ray Nagin and Police Superintendent Warren
Riley in contempt of federal court.
A hearing on the motion is scheduled for Jan. 31 in federal district
court in New Orleans. The Second Amendment Foundation is suing Nagin and
Riley over the confiscation of firearms from law-abiding citizens in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Joining SAF in the lawsuit is the
National Rifle Association.
"Mayor Nagin, Chief Riley and the city's attorney have repeatedly
failed to communicate with our legal counsel, even for the most trivial of
matters related to this lawsuit," said SAF founder Alan Gottlieb. "We were
prepared to file this motion months ago, but gave the city several
opportunities to comply with the court, and to begin returning seized
firearms to their rightful owners. They haven't done it."
"There comes a time when patience runs out," Gottlieb said, "and people
need to be held accountable for what amounts to an arrogant disregard for
the seriousness of this lawsuit and the rights of New Orleans gun owners."
The motion notes that Nagin and Riley failed to comply with a discovery
order issued last Nov. 29 and asks that the court compel them to answer
discovery questions from SAF and NRA attorneys. The defendants had been
ordered to exchange initial disclosure information by Dec. 12, but ignored
that deadline.
"At first," Gottlieb recalled, "Nagin, Riley and the city claimed they
had not seized anyone's firearms. Then, faced with the threat of a contempt
motion, they 'discovered' that guns had been taken and were being held at a
central location. After that, the city promised to begin returning
firearms, but put roadblocks in the way for citizens to retrieve their
guns."
"The city's behavior in this matter, and particularly that of Mayor
Nagin and Chief Riley, has been deplorable, and it is time for them to
behave like adults," Gottlieb said. "Since the day the city began seizing
firearms, Nagin and Riley have acted as though they are above the law. It
is time they learned otherwise."
The Second Amendment Foundation (http://www.saf.org) is the nation's
oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal
action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately
own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more
than 600,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to
better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.
SOURCE Second Amendment Foundation