Government revels in the idea of asserting itself over the population – so it is no surprise that a joint initiative launched in New Orleans is doing just that as the ATF, New Orleans Police Department and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office go door-to-door across the metro area informing gun owners that they have no rights in school zones.

“Federal law makes it an offense to possess a firearm within a 1,000 feet of a school,” U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite, who joined in the ridiculous display of hubris, said. “So we wanted to get the word out to the community about this work.”

The resource sucking initiative is being sold as “just a friendly reminder” by local media outlets but startled homeowners answered their doors over the weekend to costumed storm-troopers and plain clothes agents informing them that federal gun laws penalize self-defense in school zones with minimum fines of $5,000 and up to five years in prison.

“This is the second time we have focused on a school here in New Orleans East,” Polite said of the 7th District. “[The area has certainly] suffered from a lot of crime over a long period of time.”

Brilliant! What better way is there to ensure the safety of schools than by going to homes and telling everybody no one can legally defend themselves there?

Whereas a genuine market-based security service would reward individuals with lower insurance premiums who took the necessary steps to ensure their own safety, government thugs are happy to revoke your rights and tell you its for the safety of your children.

Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Cathy Lanier have been saying that "high-capacity guns" are a major cause.

But police sources tell me that they don't track the capacity of seized guns, so they have no reason that is the cause for the spike in homicides.

“Guns continue to make their way into the hands of violent criminals,” said Bowser. “Unfortunately some of those guns have high-capacity magazines that inflict maximum harm.”

“Multiple of our cases have high-capacity magazines and multiple rounds fired making the shots more lethal,” said Chief Lanier.

Last week, I asked the chief to back up her claim.

“In D.C., over ten rounds is high capacity, but your department doesn’t trace what kind of magazine size guns have. I’m asking when you say high capacity, where are you getting that information?" I asked.

“From the guns that we’ve recovered,” Lanier responded.

“So I'm talking about 100-round drum magazines -- that would be high capacity.”

She also added, “High-capacity magazines are magazines that are designed to enhance the normal capacity of a firearm.”

But a form police use when they get property in a crime has a section for firearms. It asks for a brand name -- a Glock would be an example for that column -- and then type -- such as a handgun or rifle.

Then there are other specifics. No. of shots is for how many rounds of ammunition is still in the gun when the police seize it.

But there is no section for ammunition capacity on the form, which means how many rounds the gun could hold. Sources in the police department said they just don’t track it.

“Information is power, so if I don't have anything to compare it against, I have to accept what you tell me,” said Sgt. Delroy Burton, chairman of the D.C. Police Union.

The police union said the lack of transparency is all about politics.