Let's forget about guns and cars for a minute and talk about authority.
I am a homeschooler. We've been doing it for 18 years, and I have been President of the local homeschooling association, so I have a lot of experience with people who homeschool and the laws related to what they do.
DFACS (in GA the department of family services- perhaps a different name in your state) has an uncomfortable level of authority which is relevant to homeschoolers at times.
If a neighbor accuses a homeschooler of child abuse (including educational neglect), DFACS has the authority to show up with the police and take your children. That's right, I said they can TAKE MY KIDS on the ACCUSATION ONLY of a neighbor, and there is NOTHING I can do about it (except call my lawyer).
Impounding a car isn't even on the scale when you start talking about taking people's kids.
I struggled with this for a long time, and I DO know personally several people who have had their kids taken into protective custody (for NO reason other than alleged "truancy"). I was completely unhappy with the level of authority that DFACS has, and sometimes excercises.
Then I started thinking about the consequences. What if there REALLY were situations where kids were being abused? What if they DIDN'T have the authority to take the kids into protective custody? Children could suffer or die if they did not have the authority to immediately take them into custody.
So, I am not happy with the authority they have, but I understand the need for them to have it. If they cross the line and abuse that authority, I will most certainly shred them in court (as well as the jacka$$ neighbor who wrongfully accused us). But I recognize the need for DFACS to have pretty huge authority, even if I don't like it.
