Reply to 75,000 Pro-Gun Demonstrators in Richmond For "Lobby Day"?

Forum Index » Metropolitan DC Local Politics

Reply to "75,000 Pro-Gun Demonstrators in Richmond For "Lobby Day"?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous] Do YOU support red flag laws? 
[/quote]

There was already an excellent post about how we are already seeing abuses of red flag laws, when the ink is essentially still wet from when they were signed into effect. Red flag laws are easily are abused as-written because they were designed to be abused. And the lawmakers who crafted them knew they would be.

Whether you own a gun or not, you should oppose red flag laws for two reasons: 1) they punish the accused by depriving them of their rights before due process and a lawful trial and conviction. 2) they have a tremendous potential for abuse, and are essentially a state-sanctioned way to "SWAT" people you don't like (search: "swatting" if you're unfamiliar with the term).

To point #1, the deprivation of due process. If a person is of such immediate, credible danger to someone or to the community at-large, why does a red flag order simply make sure that they don't have access to a gun, but that's all? It doesn't require them to be taken taken into custody. It doesn't take away other equally deadly items like knives or other things. Just guns. As if merely taking away the gun of a violent person instantly transforms them into a nonviolent person, just like that. A real red flag order should involve removing the person from the community to eliminate the danger they pose, not just removing guns from the person. What good does it accomplish to take the guns away if the dangerous person is left there afterwards?

But these laws aren't written that way. And if they were truly about safety, they'd remove the person, not just focus on the guns. But they don't. Which tells you this was never about dangerous people to begin with.

As to point 2: anyone can get a red flag petition against someone, whether they own a gun or not. The police are still obligated to come to the respondent's home and search it extensively until they find a gun, or are satisfied that there isn't one. Such searches are invasive and frequently destructive, particularly so when someone denies they aren't hiding anything (or truthfully claims not to have it). The police will take your house apart if they have to to satisfy themselves you aren't hiding something. They cut up furniture to look inside, remove drywall walls, pull up floors and carpet, pull apart appliances, etc. And when the search is over, they leave. They don't help you put everything back together when they're finished. And they don't pay you for the damages caused during the search.

And all this has the potential to happen because someone who doesn't like you for whatever reason, has the ability to file a red flag petition and put you through this, just to mess with you. And this stuff is already happening, in places where these laws have only been on the books for a few weeks sometimes.

This is why people should oppose red flag laws, regardless of how they feel about guns. Because even if you HATE guns, a red flag law still has the potential to treat you just like an actual gun owner would be treated.

Which is beautifully ironic.  [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics