A recent high-profile example of a red flag law not being used was for the 21-year-old gunman accused of fatally shooting seven people and injuring dozens more at a Fourth of July parade in the Chi…
By BERNARD CONDON | The Associated Press
AP found such laws in 19 states and the District of Columbia were used to remove firearms from people 15,049 times since 2020, fewer than 10 per 100,000 adult residents. Experts called that woefully low and not nearly enough to make a dent in gun violence, considering the millions of firearms in circulation and countless potential warning signs law enforcement officers encounter from gun owners every day.
AP’s count, compiled from inquiries and Freedom of Information Law requests, showed wide disparities in how the laws were applied from state to state, county to county, most without regard to population or crime rates. Red flag laws, most of which came into effect over the last four years, allow police officers who believe gun owners are an imminent danger to themselves or others to petition a judge to order firearms surrendered or, barring that, seized for an “emergency” period, typically two weeks. The judge can then convene a court hearing in which petitioners present evidence to withhold weapons longer, typically a year, and the owner can argue against that.
An AP-NORC poll in late July found 78% of U.S. adults strongly or somewhat favor red flag laws, but the backlash against them has been intense in some states, particularly in rural areas. Opponents argue that allowing judges to rule on gun seizures in initial emergency petitions before full hearings violates due process rights, though court cases claiming this have generally found the laws constitutional.
“We’re not going to wait for an Uvalde, Texas, or a Parkland or a Columbine if we have the information and people say that they’re going to shoot or kill,” said Judd, who enforced 752 orders since 2020 in a county of 725,000 residents, a tally that’s more than the total orders for 15 entire states. “We’re going to use the tools that the state gave us.”
Illinois state Rep. Denyse Stoneback said there has clearly been a problem with awareness of the law among those tasked with carrying it out. “We’d go to police departments and they didn’t know anything about it,” said the Democrat who helped push through a bill last year providing $1 million in police red flag law training.
Payton Gendron was a 17-year-old high school senior last year when he was investigated by New York’s State Police and ordered hospitalized for a mental health evaluation for typing into an economics class online program that his future plans included “murder-suicide.
Still, experts consulted by AP agreed more could be done to enforce red flag laws given the prevalence of guns and the millions of gun owners that national studies suggest could be dangerous to themselves and others. In red flag states alone, figures compiled by the Gun Violence Archive show at least 21,100 homicides and 47,000 injuries during the 2½ years covered by AP’s count.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Bitcoin's August Sell-Off Basically Wipes Out July GainsBitcoin's losses in August basically wiped out the token's gains in July, according to the monthly bitcoin (BTC) candle chart. 'All About Bitcoin' host Christine Lee breaks down the Chart of the Day.
Read more »
How ‘She-Hulk’ Could Smash Open the Fourth Wall Across the MCUThe Disney+ series is the first to ever break the MCU fourth wall, laying the groundwork for possible audience breaches to come.
Read more »
As Mississippi capital endures fourth day without water, aid trickles inSeven new distribution sites opened in Mississippi's state capital on Thursday to dispense bottled water to people who have been without clean tap water since the city's long-troubled treatment plant failed four days ago.
Read more »
'Married at First Sight's Briana and Vincent Reveal Sex of First Child'Married at First Sight’s Briana Myles and Vincent Morales finally know the gender of their first child.
Read more »
Chicago police officer dies by apparent suicide, officials sayIn at least the fourth such death since July, an off-duty Chicago police officer has died by apparent suicide, department officials announced Thursday.
Read more »
Calif. agency probes Kaiser's mental health care amid strikeAs Kaiser therapists approach the fourth week of an indefinite strike, an interesting twist has developed in the battle against California’s largest HMO.
Read more »