Understanding Red Flag Laws

The Red Flag Law is a means by which Law Enforcement can temporarily seize weapons of those who have been reported as a danger to themselves or others. Recently, Illinois was the latest state to sign this measure into law. Let's withhold our knee-jerk reactions and examine what actually happens with this new legislation on the table.It actually seems like a good plan. Keyword..."SEEMS". Here's are a few reasons why. Family members, dating partners or roommates can petition a judge to issue a firearms restraining order. Here's why it may not be a great idea, so can law enforcement. Family, dating partners, and roommates are usually intimately familiar with you and your day to day activities, they spend a great deal of time with you. If anyone is going to know if you're truly a threat it would most likely be someone from one of those three groups. Law Enforcement, unless you've been a real asshole, doesn't know you intimately and generally doesn't spend a lot of time with you. That may not be the best idea. Someone not intimately familiar with you making those kinds of assumptions doesn't end well.However, there is a caveat. Within a week of receiving the request, a judge must hold a hearing to review the evidence. We're ok with that, that's called due process of law. There needs to be actual evidence that you're a danger. Who knows what some judges may accept as evidence though...That may be a problem. Here's the plus side, if someone makes a false report or provides false evidence about you in this instance, they face felony perjury charges.

We're pretty pro-gun here as you've seen. From breaking down the numbers to addressing the historical folly of trying to wholesale ban things, this law has some really good parts, like how false reports get felony perjury charges and there has to be a legitimate due process. However, in some instances, even these good things can be used improperly and we're still wary of that.But due process and prosecution for false claims...we're cool with that.At the end of the day, as always, we need to ensure that if we're going to pass any new legislation about firearms it is carefully vetted by people who know firearms, not by people who think a Ghost Gun Bullet Button Assault Rifle Magazine Clip Ultra Killer Rifle Machinegun 2.0 is a real thing.