Democrats are pushing a bill that encourages states to pass “red flag laws”–legislation allowing guns to be confiscated from people who have been convicted of no crime.
In September, Rep. Jerry Nadler went further. Under an amendment he proposed, federal judges could take guns as well. Nadler said it was needed because gun violence “knows no bounds” and touches “every jurisdiction.”
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In response, one Colorado Republican offered a proposal of his own: make gang membership a red flag.
Suddenly, Democrats weren’t so enthusiastic.
“The majority of violent crime, including gun violence, in the United States is linked to gangs,” Rep. Ken Buck explained.
“My amendment is quite simple. It would allow the issuance of a red flag order against anyone whose name appears in a gang database if there was probable cause to include that individual in the database.”
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By requiring police to demonstrate probable cause, Buck’s amendment offered far more protection than Democrats did in their 2016 “No Fly, No Buy” proposal.
Under that plan, anyone put on the federal “No Fly List” would be prohibited from purchasing a firearm. People are often placed on the list by mistake, and getting off it is a difficult process.
But while Democrats hadn’t been concerned about due process before, it suddenly became an issue once alleged gang-members were the ones having their rights infringed upon.
Nadler complained that such lists tend to be “racially discriminatory” and was worried that someone could be labeled as a gang member just for writing down the number thirteen. “Maybe you are just doodling because it is the 13th of June,” he offered.
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It was a complaint that Rep. Doug Collins had no patience for.
“We had a large blow-up on the floor of this House just a couple years ago about the ‘No Fly, No Buy’ list, which was shown to have issues, but at that point, nobody from the other side brought this is as a concern, and now we are bringing it as a concern,” Collins stated, saying he found the contrast “amazing.”
“If we can’t bring this list up, even with due process put in, then don’t ever bring the ‘No Fly, No Buy’ list up again,” the Georgia congressman warned. “Don’t ever bring it up again, because there is no due process on that list.”
In addition to violating due process right, red flag laws have the potential to be used by abusers to disarm their victims. In the video below, author Dan Wos explains why they’re both unconstitutional and a threat to public safety.
Cases like this show that for Democrats, the real priority isn’t saving lives; it’s taking your guns.
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