Family’s Home Raided over Facebook Photo of Child’s Rifle

New popular disclaimer: Searched for this story using the search feature, looked at the new story list, looked at the recent posts list, and did not find this listed anywhere. If it got posted before I had time to fill out a proper thread OP, I apologize now.

Link to Source Story: Family’s Home Raided over Facebook Photo of Child’s Rifle

“Someone called family services about the photo,” said Evan Nappen, an attorney representing Shawn Moore. “It led to an incredible, heavy-handed raid on his house. They wanted to see his gun safe, his guns and search his house. They even threatened to take his kids.” Moore was not arrested or charged.

I guess it doesn't matter that Sean Moore "is a certified firearms instructor for the National Rifle Association, an NRA range safety officer and a New Jersey hunter education instructor". Th photo posted even shows the kid with his finger "welded" to the frame of the rifle, and NOT on the trigger, as is correct for safety.

With his attorney on speaker phone, Moore instructed the officers to leave his home. “I was told I was being unreasonable and that I was acting suspicious because I wouldn’t open my safe,” Moore wrote on the Delaware Open Carry website. “They told me they were going to get a search warrant. I told them to go ahead.”

IMO, the most telling item here is this, spoken by Dept. of Children and Families spokesperson, Kristen Brown:

the person who reported the false allegations of abuse cannot be held liable

In the end, however, he stood up for his rights, professionally and not in an antagonistic manner, and they left with no charges filed. This is how the law is supposed to work, however, for a police officer to demand you forfeit your rights is wrong on so many levels here....stop the madness folks, and lets all think before we react out of fear. FEAR is what will be our downfall if we do not stop this now.

While there is some serious overreacting going on, it all started with an ill advised Facebook photo. Let's get smart people.

Originally posted by jjkenobi
While there is some serious overreacting going on, it all started with an ill advised Facebook photo. Let's get smart people.

Why should law abiding people hide?

I wish we had far more images of happy kids who have passed certification for intelligently using a weapon on Facebook/TV/everything than toddler beauty pageants with strained smiles and vacant eyes.

Upside down land... everywhere.

Originally posted by jjkenobi
ill advised

Really? This kid is licensed, passed his safety course is a hunter, and is proud of that accomplishment, as is his father. The fact that someone is afraid of guns, and clearly overreacted (perhaps a chat or context on the photo would have eased tensions before it was FALSELY reported) would be smarter?

Since when does being proud of one's accomplishments and exercising your Constitutional Rights of free speech become wrong and something to hide in the shows over?

reply to post by jjkenobi


I have to disagree with your logic here. We supposedly live in a free society. To me it's like saying women shouldn't wear miniskirts if they don't want to get raped.

Nice to know your life can be turned upside down for having done nothing at all.

I hope he sues them all into oblivion.

Originally posted by Kali74
reply to post by jjkenobi

 

I have to disagree with your logic here. We supposedly live in a free society. To me it's like saying women shouldn't wear miniskirts if they don't want to get raped.

Bing-#ing-O!

reply to post by jjkenobi



Ill advised in what way? A man who legally bought his son a rifle and the boy was proudly displaying his birthday present. It was not a threatening photo, no, "I've got my assault rifle so you better watch out". Why would police or Child Services have cause to raid his house and threaten him and his children? This was plainly over reaction by cops and DFS.
Too bad the informer can't be held liable. People should have to back up their accusations with fact, not fear mongering.

I wonder how it would have gone if the guy didn't have all those shiny credentials and his lawyer on the phone?

Here's a few quotes from the father's postings on the Delaware Open Carry discussion board:

Delaware Open Carry: I stood my ground

They never even saw the picture. It was all hear say. Just a phone call saying someone saw a pic of a child holding a gun.

One cop went to make a phone call and said "I need you do go over there". I replied "your standing on my property and if anyone is moving its you"

Btw mag was empty. It was his birthday present and it literally just came out of the box

O.k ti was an overreaction callingFamily Services, but at least the caller cared enough to voice their concern. In my area, if an alarm is ringing - it gets ignored

The problem lays with the Family Services reaction and how they dealt with this, which is mostly always the case.

the person who reported the false allegations of abuse cannot be held liable

Good, because when this starts happening, people stop caring - just like in China.

Originally posted by Doodle19815
I wonder how it would have gone if the guy didn't have all those shiny credentials and his lawyer on the phone?

edit on 20-3-2013 by Doodle19815 because: (no reason given)

I believe we all already know, the familg dog shot, daughter burned by flashbang, father and son beaten unconscious, and then one of them shot for resisting arrest, even though you are aloud under tye law to protect yourself, uo to and including taking an officers life, while resisting unlawful detention, thanks for that one SCOTUS.

All the while, they woukd have confiscated all his weapons, put his kids in foster care, and he would have lost hos job and his house, and then they woukd demand he pay for his own lawyer after they guarantee he is not able to do so.

You know, the regular police axtion tactics, every situation is a swat situation these days.

I actually just watched a news clip of this story...



Its amazing how people still post this kind of stuff up on FB...

I agree its within your right to pose with a firearm, but FB is so heavily monitored by big brother

Originally posted by Kali74
reply to post by jjkenobi

 

I have to disagree with your logic here. We supposedly live in a free society. To me it's like saying women shouldn't wear miniskirts if they don't want to get raped.

Well said.

reply to post by morder1

but FB is so heavily monitored by big brother

All the more reason to post pictures and links that are perfectly legal but some dumbass corporate bought politician is trying to demonize or make illegal.

The state will look into any reports of abuse. yea well tell that to the kids who end up dead cuz the state drops the ball all the time and takes away kids who need not to be, while the ones who needed to be helped are left on their own. What lovely ammo for the anti-gun agenda if any of this abuse was true.. This is why I will never show any pics or tell anyone about any weapons I do or do not own.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


This whole story is afire with buzzwords and half truths and is a non issue.
There is nothing for this man to sue over.
There were officers investigating an abuse claim, abuse comes in many flavors nowadays.
Officers asked to search, which is their right to do so.
Father said take a flying @@@@, which is his right as well.
No laws, rules or rights were harmed in the making of this story, except for maybe some false reporting.
This should be the police officers next stop, the bad claimant.

reply to post by n00bUK

O.k ti was an overreaction callingFamily Services, but at least the caller cared enough to voice their concern.

More like a mentally challenged person that doesn't know their butt from a hole in the ground stuck their nose where it didn't belong.

What indicates that the child is being neglected or abused when you view the photo?

Nothing.

I suppose if you see a picture of a gun, you should call the police to report a murder? Again, only if you are mentally challenged.

ok...let's see.... national attention focused on guns, especially assault rifles, scores of reported cases throughout america of kids bringing guns to school, media attention for the last few months on guns and shootings, actual school shootings taking place......so what to do???...i know!, i know!...i'll put a photo of my son, in camo, holding an assault rifle, on facebook.....yeah that's it...no problem there
doesn't anyone think ahead anymore?...and yeah...you should be allowed to, but using a little common sense, AND NOT putting his picture up on facebook would have been more prudent.

The "alledged" informant does nt have to be named.....
Doesnt this alone strike you as an open door for police abuse?
The police then do not need complaint as they can make up whatever story they like....
The idea that police can demand unconstitutionally to search or anything else is worth a SCOTUS case....
What were the police doing searching the home without a warrant in the first place??
This seems hokey to me...likea set up of the NRA or whatever....

Originally posted by jimmyx
ok...let's see.... national attention focused on guns, especially assault rifles, scores of cases throughout america of kids bring guns to school, actual school shootings taking place......so what to do???...i'll put a photo of my son, in camo, holding an assault rifle, on facebook.....yeah that's it...no problem there
doesn't anyone think ahead anymore?...and yeah...you should be allowed to, but using a little common sense, AND NOT putting his picture up on facebook would have been more prudent.

Prudent?

There is absolutely NO reason for any of this to have happened because a person posted a photo that is perfectly legal.
CARS ARE DANGEROUS. Should we raid every house that has a new young driver posing with their new car in a pic on Facebook??

Don't take a photo of your child posing with a deer that they killed.... Someone might conjure up an image of a gun in their head FFS, and then you'll get raided!

Where does it end???

This is exactly what they want us to do....

Pictures of GUNS are BAD!!!~!