Tipsheet

Read 'Em And Weep, Anti-Gunners: Dana Loesch Proves, Once Again, Why Red Flag Laws Are Dangerous

Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), commonly referred to as red flag laws, have been all the talk in Washington. Politicians on both sides of the aisle seem to think red flag laws are the answers to the mass shootings taking place in our country. 

The House Judiciary Committee proved once again that they don't understand or value the Constitution. They green lighted ERPOs, despite many Second Amendment advocates concerns over the lack of due process.  

Talk radio host and pro-gun activist Dana Loesch compiled a Twitter thread giving Americans 10 reasons why we should all be against this move. 

"Innocent until proven guilty" is the bedrock of our justice system. Prosectors have a job to prove the defendant is actually guilty. With ERPOs, a person is deemed guilty and it's up to them to prove themselves innocent. Rather contrary to what our Constitution says.

We have no way to know that someone isn't going to use red flag laws for retaliation. Think of the ex-boyfriend or girlfriend who would love to get back at their 2A-loving former significant other. See how that could be a problem? There's nothing to keep them from lying and making false accusations. 

Even when a person does finally have their day in court, it's not exactly something that is jumped on right away. 

And those states that have implemented these laws haven't had any reductions in crime. California implemented their red flag laws in 2016 yet we had the Thousand Oaks shooting last November, the Poway Synagogue shooting in April and the Garlic Festival shooting in July. 

Florida resident Jonathan Carpenter's case is a prime example of red flag laws gone wrong. A woman filed a complaint against a drug dealer with the same name. Police came knocking on Carpenter's door, confiscated his firearms and then he had to go to court to prove they had the wrong person. It wasn't until he showed up in court, the plaintiff saw him and told cops they had the wrong person, that Carpenter was allowed to get his guns back.  

Our law enforcement agencies are struggling as it is to keep afloat and provide for their community. Taxing them with additional issues, like the liability of temporarily storing and protecting firearms. 

Cherry picking what rights are worth keeping and protecting is dangerous. It creates a slippery slope for the government to come in and take away whatever right is important to you (whether it be your right to free speech, religion or even voting). 

You can't be okay with forfeiting others' rights if you don't want yours forfeited down the road.

The biggest issue our nation has is the lack of law enforcement. Yes, we have cops, the FBI, the CIA, ICE but what we're missing is adequately enforcing every single law that's on the book.

Anti-gunners want to strip more rights guaranteed to us by the Second Amendment but they're not looking at the flaws that already exist, the biggest one being with background checks. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) isn't a completely wholesome system. Assuming a criminal decides to go through the "legal process" of purchasing a firearm, there's a chance that he or she may be given the green light when really they're a prohibited possessor. That's not something that will be fixed by adding another law. It's something that's fixed by enforcing the law and requiring every government agency, at every level, to provide their convictions to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which oversees NICS.

The other issue is to stop letting people off with a slap on the wrist. If the court thinks you're mentally unfit or unstable enough to take away your firearms, there's a pretty good chance they have enough evidence to convict you of a crime. Right?

We need to stop holding everyone's hand and get serious about addressing this issue. Until we, as a society, stop sweeping this under the rug, nothing will change. We need to make sure those who need mental help get it before it's too late. We need to come together and agree to say something when we see another person acting suspicious or they seem like they're in distress. How many times have we learned about acquaintances, co-workers and friends of mass shooters who thought something was off with the person but they never said anything? Far too many to count.

We need to remove the shame behind seeking mental health treatment. We need to tell people, especially young men, that it's okay to struggle and have issues but there's nothing wrong with asking for help.