I went into Marley Station a handful of years ago and was amazed at how bad it was, at least an entire wing completely empty of stores. Some of the stores were just empty with the gate 1/2 up. Sparsely populated everywhere else.
After Katrina hit New Orleans, the government did this exact thing. NRA and SAF filed a lawsuit and eventually settled. During the lawsuit the Disaster Recovery Personal Property act was passed. It prohibits firearm confiscation during an emergency. So no, Westminster does not have the authority...