Weekly Spotlight 4/5/24 – 4/11/24
New Federal ‘Red Flag’ Office is Latest Example of Growing Gun Control Bureaucracy
Last month, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced plans to create a new entity that would aim to help states implement so-called “red flag” laws. Dubbed the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center, this new federal bureaucracy will train “law enforcement officials, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service and social service providers, community organizations, and behavioral health professionals” on initiating the legal proceedings needed to obtain a “red flag” against an individual they deem “at risk,” with the ultimate purpose of stripping them of their firearms.
“Red flag” laws, while posed to Americans as a sensible approach to protecting the public from violent individuals, undermine due process of law and leave substantial room for abuse. They could prevent an individual from exercising their Second Amendment rights, merely because an individual they have crossed paths with deemed them unfit. In many states, the “flagged” individuals may not be made aware of the proceedings, leaving them unable to advocate for themselves. Even if there were a consistent standard across the 21 states that have implemented these laws, they would still have serious legal flaws.
Proponents of “red flag” laws argue that they will make communities safer. However, there is minimal evidence showing their effectiveness in stopping violent crime. Individuals who are intent on causing harm will do so by any means necessary. Furthermore, anyone who might be properly deemed unfit to own firearms by an extreme risk protection order still has a right to due process – if the law were properly enforced, many of those people would already be prevented from owning guns.
The establishment of a “red flag” office is the latest example of the Biden Administration’s politicized DOJ under the helm of Attorney General Merrick Garland. Devoting taxpayer dollars and major federal resources to gun control policies that are unpopular and overstep the Second Amendment seems to be par for the course now. That’s why numerous Members of Congress quickly voiced their opposition to this growing gun control bureaucracy in Washington, DC.
The massive overreach being undertaken by the Biden Administration to implement gun control measures across the country shows us why sitting out of the political arena is not an option for law-abiding gun owners. It has never been more urgent to get involved and make your voice heard to stop these encroachments on your constitutional rights.
Do you oppose “Red Flag” laws? Send a letter today.
OTHER NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
- Washington Examiner: Colorado Democrats Blasted For Sweeping Gun Control Measures: ‘Self-Defense Is Not A Sin. It’s A Human Right’
Colorado Democratic lawmakers are pushing a package of gun control laws that would make it more challenging for residents to buy and carry firearms. The nine bills lawmakers are attempting to pass have gained traction in the state’s Democratic-controlled general assembly while largely avoiding attention, Fox News reported. If approved, the legislation would ban “assault weapons” or semiautomatic rifles such as AR-15s, appoint an 11% tax on ammunition and gun sales, restrict where guns can be carried in public, and make firearm storage in vehicles mandatory.
- Albuquerque Journal (New Mexico): New Gun Laws Could Increase Concealed Carry Permits
Firearms rights advocates said they are expecting an increase of New Mexicans applying for concealed carry permits in response to new gun laws in the state that go into effect May 15. One of the bills, which Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law this year, creates a seven-day waiting period for most new gun purchases, with an exception for customers with concealed carry permits. Another bill signed into law prohibits guns a certain distance from polling places when voting is taking place, but there is also an exemption for concealed carry permit holders.
The Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday narrowly blocked a controversial proposal that would have allowed concealed carry permit holders to bring guns into businesses without the property owners’ consent. Senate Bill 2180, backed by Sen. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, aimed to exempt concealed carry or enhanced-handgun carry permit holders from current Tennessee criminal code that makes “possessing a firearm in a concealed manner” illegal if the business owner has posted signage prohibiting weapons on the property.
- Washington Examiner: Youngkin Vetoes More Than Two Dozen Gun Laws Passed By Democratic-Led Legislature
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) announced on Tuesday he vetoed 30 bills relating to gun control measures that were passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature earlier this year. Youngkin vetoed a range of gun control bills, including one measure that would have banned the sale, transfer, or purchase of an “assault firearm” after July 1, and classifying the acts misdemeanor crimes. The Virginia governor expressed concern over the constitutionality of the measure.
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