What everyone is saying is likely true to some extent or another. The point, however, I think most LE down there were there to sincerlry help. I would imagine the ones that were "bad" to begin with are the ones guilty of the confiscation/theft.
But that is not the main point. I am sure NRA knows that most of the guns are gone and will not be returned. What they are trying to do is make an example of this. For those of that understand what took place it is a no brainer, but for your everyday average gun owner, they may not know the extent of the confiscation. And even these guys, while many may not like the EBR, they will understand if something like this happens in their neck of the woods, they could loose their hunting rifles, shotguns, and handguns.
To get them on board and understanding how bad the situation can get for gunowners of all stripes is the intent.