[SeanMiller]

Story

Quote

Alcohol Restrictions, Curfew Lifted In King
Police Chief: King Remains Under State Of Emergency Until Monday

POSTED: 5:18 pm EST February 6, 2010
UPDATED: 4:07 pm EST February 7, 2010

KING, N.C. -- Authorities lifted a curfew and alcohol restrictions in King on Sunday, but said a state of emergency declaration remained in effect until Monday.

Authorities said the state of emergency declaration would continue until Monday 9 a.m., barring any unforeseen circumstances or severe changes.

Effective Sunday afternoon, alcohol restrictions and a curfew were lifted. All other remaining restrictions would continue until Monday, said Paula May, King police chief.

Other restrictions include a ban on the sale or purchase of any type of firearm, ammunition, explosive or any possession of such items off a person's own premises. Umm...last I checked there was this pesky 2nd Amendment thing and you cant exactly do that, Mr. King Police person. If it really is an emergency, that is exactly when people are going to need those guns.

Also on Sunday, the emergency shelter established by the American red Cross at West Stokes High School was closed.

"We appreciate the support and cooperation of everyone with our efforts to keep the citizens of King safe," May said.

The state of emergency was declared Friday due to severe weather.

Why would such restrictions be needed during a weather emergency? Wouldnt resources be better used in distributing disaster relief supplies?

[macho999]

We just had it worse than they did two weeks ago and you could still get your hipoint at the gas station.

[SBHShooter]

macho999, on 08 February 2010 - 09:53 AM, said:

We just had it worse than they did two weeks ago and you could still get your hipoint at the gas station.

Hi Points don't come from gas stations, that's where you get Uzis. Hi Points are made by Mattel, they come from the toy store.

[Cyclops01]

Regardless of where you buy them, what purpose does a firearms selling / purchase ban serve during a a freakin snow storm?

In the four years I've been living in NC., I have seen a lot of weird stuff. Stuff that I have come to refer to as "a North Carolina thang". So a wannabe despot, back woods, nose picking small town mayor ordering a firearms and alcohol sales ban, (and a midnight to 5:00 A.M. curfew) because it's snowing, doesn't quite make the top ten list. But, in keeping with the North Carolina thang theme, it does defy common sense logic.

Perhaps they were worried the locals would get drunk and stupid... But this is North Carolina. Getting boozed up is not a prerequisite for stupid.

Mike

[Cyclops01]

Cyclops01, on 08 February 2010 - 01:46 PM, said:

But this is North Carolina. Getting boozed up is not a prerequisite for stupid.

In an update to this story, King Police Chief Paula May, said her department had received numerous threats via phone, letters, email and faxes regarding the state of emergency ordered over the weekend. She said the banning of alcohol sales, " the carrying of firearms in vehicles" and the midnight to 5:00 A.M. curfew were imposed "because with power outages, food becomes scarce and some people might turn to looting for survival".

So then, by implication, anyone carrying a firearm in a motor vehicle, during a snow fall, MUST be on a mission to loot? It must be a North Carolina thang!!!

Mike

[emclean]

Quote

Other restrictions include a ban on the sale or purchase of any type of firearm, ammunition, explosive or any possession of such items off a person's own premises.

legally can a mayor override the states permit to carry laws?

[macshooter]

This reminds me something I saw somewhere. Ah, here we go.

[BrowningBDA]

Ahh.. the gonzales flag.. nice!

[Ghostshot]

How much snow do you have to have in N.C. to close the place down?

[BrowningBDA]

How does a local government get enough balls to think they can usurp the laws of the state & country becuase of a snowstorm?

[CulminatingJoe]

I was in a very nasty natural disaster once. The local government (lawfully, I found out) declared a 'State of Emergency' requiring everyone to leave a certain area or be arrested, if it came to it. To my fellow LEOs credit, in all that excitement and panic the first response was 'Oh yes? What Act and section am I arresting these people under?' and it couldn't be answered to my satisfaction. So rather than arrest recalcitrants on a dubious cause (we did find out later it was a lawful declaration though) we just let them risk their own necks if they insisted on staying. Besides, we had other people who wanted help to save.

Emergencies don't suspend the need for the law to be observed. Quite the opposite in fact. I wasn't sure of my powers in that regard that day and so let it go.

[JSheaHawk]

If, in good faith, I believed an order to be unlawful, I would also refuse.

Jared

[macho999]

CulminatingJoe, on 09 February 2010 - 03:43 PM, said:

Emergencies don't suspend the need for the law to be observed. Quite the opposite in fact. I wasn't sure of my powers in that regard that day and so let it go.

Exactly. What's the point in having any faith in the law if it can be thrown out the window?

[BrowningBDA]

I dont get it... most folks who are snowed in aren't going to say "hey, lets go buy guns, and commit illegal acts of violence!!"

If anything, they would be doing a run on any store (if they could even get out of their driveway) that sells generators & heaters.

I dont even think the gun store would be open in a blizzard. duh.

[Ghostshot]

It's been discussed before on this forum about being prepared for an emergency/natural disaster,i.e food storage,water,and a source of power.So unless it's a medical emergency or to check on family members or you are in emergency service,you wouldn't want to go out in a severe snow storm!Being that you are prepared.

This thing in N.C.,(a what-partial marshal law?)seems to me to be a knee jerk reaction.An unforeseen event without a proper contingency plan.Just an isolated incident that happens once in a hundred years,fifty,twenty?

The last time Utah shut down for snow was 1984.I shoveled snow off the roofs of eleven houses to make some money.Four of them I had help with,the others I did by myself.Two weeks ago it snowed for six days here at my house,thirty inches of snow in my yard.I finally got my snow blower out for the first time in four years,used it once and it hasn't snowed since.

A weather emergency ban on the things that have nothing to do with helping out in the situation is asinine.When elections come up,vote the asses out.
Threats coming in by e-mail,faxes,and phone calls!?!Probably because of the ban in the first place.

[Cyclops01]

I live about 46 miles from King and "survived the big one" of 2010. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. But then, I lived more than thirty years in the "snow belt" region of Northeast Ohio, two blocks from Lake Erie.

Folks here go into panic mode at the slightest mention of snow. Hours before it's due to start, you can't find milk or bread at any of the stores. Everything closes, including convenience / gas stores and chain drive-thru burger places. People call off going in to work and "crawlers" on TV run for hours with closing notices for schools, churches, businesses and community events. And frequently, the storms by pass the area. Schools in my area were closed all week "just on the chance" there could be black ice on the roads. They are already talking about schools being open a few Saturdays, or extending the school year because of all the closings so far this Winter.

In NEOH, they would only close schools if there were total whiteout conditions, or there being no power, heat or water in a particular school building. I can only remember the county declaring an SOE, where there were travel bans, twice!!! And one of those days, the SOE wasn't issued until after a 62 car pileup on the interstate... that occurred while I was there, working a vehicle off the road call with hardly an hour left in my shift. Hell, I had to plead with the state patrol to close and divert traffic when it was still a small 20 - 25 vehicles involved incident. (And then the bastards wouldn't even come down to help with the crash reports!!!) Oh yeah... I know about black ice.

I don't know... Maybe the mayor of the tiny town of King saw this as being his one and only opportunity to make an executive decision that would put his name in history books for years to come or, for him to become a legend in his own mind.

Mike

[Ghostshot]

There are many state's where a half inch of snow on the road causes a shut down of the city.If you are not born and raised,or have experience in driving in bad weather,it can be overwhelming.Black ice being the worse,you never see it and you never know where it might be.Overpasses being a spot to be careful of.

People get a herd mentality with a report of impending doom and turn to who they see as the ram with the big bell around it's neck.

This "ban" spooked instead of helped in overcoming the emergency.It got our dander up didn't it?

[JSheaHawk]

People don't know how to handle the snow, and cities don't have the infrastructure to defend against it. I'm sure some town on the border of Texas and Mexico have exactly zero plow trucks.

Jared

[macshooter]

JSheaHawk, on 10 February 2010 - 01:27 PM, said:

People don't know how to handle the snow, and cities don't have the infrastructure to defend against it. I'm sure some town on the border of Texas and Mexico have exactly zero plow trucks.

Jared

We got a lot of snow here in this year, almost more than I've ever seen here before, but I have never, EVER, seen it to the point were the streets needed to be plowed, and I don't think there are any anyways. That said I saw more snow than I've ever seen in my life 100 miles north (and about 4000 feet higher) about a week ago. It was crazy, cars and trucks totally buried. Piles of snow 15 feet high on the side of the road (yes taller than a house), icicles 4-5 feet long, some so long they went reached the snow that was 4 feet high and made little frozen puddles in it. Huge trees snapped from the weight, cabins crushed by fallen trees. It was nuts. I like snow, but that was the first time I've ever seen how much it can really suck.

[SBHShooter]

BrowningBDA, on 09 February 2010 - 09:31 AM, said:

How does a local government get enough balls to think they can usurp the laws of the state & country becuase of a snowstorm?

"For your own good/safety."

Works like a charm.

[JSheaHawk]

"And what about the children!?"

Jared

[Ghostshot]

I heard on the news the other night that Hawaii was the only state that has not gotten snow this year.

[emclean]

http://news.yahoo.co..._states_of_snow

[BrowningBDA]

I heard hawaii did get snow.. on the peaks. funny...

[Yahoshua]

It frakkin snowed out here today.......got about 3 and some odd inches.

damn that global warming!! Quick, somebody burn some more trees or increase the logging in south america, go to the antartic with furnace heaters and start actually WARMING something!!!

[SBHShooter]

Yahoshua, on 23 February 2010 - 09:47 PM, said:

It frakkin snowed out here today.......got about 3 and some odd inches.

damn that global warming!! Quick, somebody burn some more trees or increase the logging in south america, go to the antartic with furnace heaters and start actually WARMING something!!!