Don Hall of Taberg, N.Y., is a law-abiding gun owner, a Vietnam veteran with no history of mental health issues. But all it took was a basic medical record mix-up for local sheriff’s deputies to show up at Hall’s home and demand that he hand over all of his firearms.
NRA-ILA reported on the incident, in which an incorrectly entered Social Security number apparently flagged Hall to law enforcement as a “mental defective.” Even after he was able to discover the source of the error, it still took him months to secure the return of all of his guns. “I was guilty until I could prove myself innocent,” Hall said. “They don’t tell you why or what you supposedly did.”
Hall’s case demonstrates the dangers of gun control regulations that require registration and allow confiscation of firearms without due process. This incident ended with the gun owner eventually able to recover his lawfully acquired guns—although at his own expense and without compensation from those responsible—but others may not be able to fight successfully for the preservation of their Second Amendment rights.
