So it sounds like the police are trying to eliminate the source of firearms used in violent crimes. These same illegal guns are the very ones the anti-gun groups are citing as the reason we shouldn't have firearms. I personally support the idea of not letting a dirtbag steal a gun from a vacant house and use it in future robberies, car jackings and shootings.
Has anyone here indicting the cops stopped to consider that they may not be doing this simply because one of them was sitting around trying to find a way to mess with people? Could it be the police commissioner was told what to do by his mayor or elected city council? I agree that just because the boss said so is no reason to violate people's civil rights, but consider that many of these registration laws have been repeatedly upheld by various state and federal courts. Just because you or I don't care for them does not equate to the police being thugs and "ghouls" for following the law. I'm sure if anyone's rights are being violated, there will be half a dozen NRA attorneys ready to sue.
Polymerman is right about the estate and probate stuff. However, the vast majority of estates are not taken care of through probate and the courts. People who don't have wills, simply cease to exist. A car might be the only titled property they own. Bank accounts are at or near zero and the amount of clothing and other possessions is nil. For many there are no IRA's or 401K's for the kids to fight over. The life insurance policy might be enough to cover funeral costs.
I see houses stand empty after deaths all too often. Often it takes the family getting some tax bills, eviction notices, foreclosure notices or overdue utility notices a few months later before they start thinking about getting rid of grandpa's stuff. And yes, they simply show up to the house, clean out what they want and drive away. The bank or landlord then calls a clean up company and the rest goes into a dumpster. Often they have no idea what firearms might have been in the house. Often the houses have been entered by any number of scavengers from the time of their 'clean out' to when it is finally re-sold or buldozed by the bank.
If tasked, my approach would be to:
Knock, tell the family that police records show he owned several firearms, provide the family with a list of serial numbers and ask them to try to make sure they don't fall in to the wrong hands. I would then turn and walk away. I might offer information on how to transfer ownership records (apparently required in NY) to another family member. No searches, no 'collecting', no asking to visually verify anything.
This may be exactly what is taking place. The police commissioner probably has no clue how the street cops or detective assigned to the matter actually carry out their job. Since the author of the article doesn't cite any examples of what is actually taking place, we don't really know... The author in the second link is more concerned about ginning up paranoia and distrust of the government than trying to pass along any real information.