Washington, DC, Jul 26, 2006 -

U.S. Congressman John Carter (TX-31) cosponsored a bill that passed the House to protect the rights of law-abiding gun owners during a disaster. H.R. 5013, the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act would prohibit any agency using federal disaster relief funds from seizing firearms from law-abiding citizens in their cars, homes, and businesses. Additionally, this legislation would not prevent confiscating guns from convicted felons, and would have no effect on law enforcement operations outside of disaster relief situations.

“Protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens is a priority of mine. Individuals acting within the law should be able to protect themselves and their property from harm, especially during a time of disaster,” Congressman Carter said. “I am proud to support a bill that upholds the rights of gun owners to keep and bear arms during a vulnerable and dangerous time.”

This bill was introduced in response to instances where law-abiding residents had their firearms confiscated in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In fact, at least one highly-qualified search and rescue team was prevented from joining in relief efforts because the team included individuals with firearms, although these individuals had been deputized as federal law enforcement officers.