The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal and refused to hear the case of a man in Texas who was SWAT teamed by police in a ‘no-knock’ raid, under the justification that he was a registered gun owner.
A lower court had originally ruled that police acted within the law when they entered John Quinn’s house unannounced on the suspicion that he had legally-owned firearms in his possession.
By refusing to grant a petition for certiorari on the ruling, the Supreme Court has essentially sanctioned the notion that police need not abide by the Fourth Amendment if they suspect there are firearms in a person’s home. The refusal to hear the case also upholds significant intrusions on Second Amendment rights.
This is indeed chilling, depending on circumstances.
If they entered via a no-knock warrant on the suspicion the individual was involved with a violent crime and had firearms, the decision makes sense.
If not, it does not.
It also creates the interesting situation if police use a no-knock warrant and the resident blows their butts away as they are entering. Again, the court decision in such a case would probably depend on the nature of the individual’s criminal or non-criminal status and the reason for the no-knock entry.
It would seem that any entrance under a no-knock warrant presents significant threats for the officers involved.