When authorities told disabled US Marine Corps veteran William Johnson and his wife Jill to pick up their grandchild because they were in state company, they had no idea that was only the beginning of their nightmare. Instead of being thankful that loving, caring family members were willing to take the child, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services executed a warrantless search on the household and refused to give them the child. We are Robert Raskin and Kathey Raskin, and we have the utmost respect for our military veterans. We are very disturbed to learn that one of our best and brightest is being treated this way

An Unlawful Search

Despite the fact this search produced no weapons, the veteran disclosed that he had a concealed-carry license. The state demanded the vet register his guns with them or they could not have their grandchild. Mr. Johnson is a model citizen, and he is under no obligation to provide any information to this agency aside from a list of the firearms he owns. Instead, the state demanded the make, model, and serial number of each gun, and we can’t think of a single patriot who would give that information to any agency.

Your Child or Your Rights

Johnson has filed a lawsuit alleging that he was told that he would have to give up some of his constitutional rights if he wanted to be permitted to care for his own grandchild. As a veteran, the grandfather has gone above and beyond the call of duty to protect these rights, and we are appalled that there are any circumstances in which he would be asked to forego them. In his defense, he has cited the Second and Fourteenth Amendments, which protect his right to bear arms and state that he shall not be deprived of his liberty or his property without due process of the law.

The lawsuit is still in progress, but we, Robert Raskin and Kathey Raskin, with the Johnson family a speedy victory.