St. Paul Police Steal a Gun

Here’s an interesting story involving a carry permit holder getting his gun stolen from him by the St. Paul police:

Thomas Hackbarth, 58, was stopped in his car on Nov. 16 after a security guard saw him with a gun in the parking lot about 5 p.m., an hour after the clinic closed. Police ordered him out of his car at gunpoint and handcuffed and questioned him before taking his gun and letting him go.

Hackbarth, who has a conceal and carry permit, picked up his gun from police on Tuesday. He was not arrested or charged, and police have closed the case, said police spokesman Andy Skoogman.

Basically the St. Paul police responded to a “man with a gun” call. That part made sense but the fact that they stole is gun from him without cause is appalling. The key here is they didn’t charge him, they didn’t arrest him, they just confiscated his firearm and left. Unless somebody is being charged with a crime the police have no right in confiscating property of a private citizen.

Stories like this are why I carry concealed, really well concealed. My gun sits in an inside the waistband holster with a shirt tucked in around it. Of course being this is a Red Star article they had to throw in a bit of bias:

Hackbarth said that he always carries his fully loaded gun, and understands why the security guard was alarmed.

Emphasis mine. The wording there is meant to create fear in the reader that a man not only had a gun, not only was it loaded, but it was fully loaded. For fuck sake the man was carrying a revolver, fully loaded means six rounds in most cases. Is he supposed to carry it partially loaded? Maybe he should play Russian roulette with an attacker. And people wonder why I call the Star Tribune the Red Star.

Did I mention Mr. Hackbarth is a state representative? I would love to see more representatives with carry permits who actively carry, good on him. Of course if I were him I’d also take action against the St. Paul police department for putting my life in danger by confiscating my means of self-defense without cause.