Neb. Proposal Would Bar Gun Seizures after Catastrophes

January 30, 2008

Should disaster strike and chaos ensue, Nebraskans could be forced to give up their guns, under current law.

That's what happened in New Orleans, when police seized guns after Hurricane Katrina walloped the city in 2005.

But a state lawmaker wants to change the rules so that cities and other political subdivisions in Nebraska couldn't do the same.

Under a bill LB 1076 from Sen. Kent Rogert of Tekamah, neither the state nor political subdivisions could enact special restrictions on guns during emergency or disasters. The law would apply to gun possession, storage and use, among other things.

The National Rifle Association filed a lawsuit against New Orleans city officials over the city's seizure of firearms after the hurricane.