In short, red flag laws are simply the latest in the long-standing effort to make the Second Amendment guarantee of an individual’s right to keep and bear arms meaningless - one step at a time. Let us look at what a red flag law is, why such laws are spreading across the country on a state-by-state basis, and why they are a real threat to become federal law.
This story of the nightmare faced by Lynette Phillips and her husband is illustrative of how a red flag law could work in your state. More than 11,000 guns have been confiscated in California under this program. Very obviously, more people have their rights removed by red flag laws than simply “dangerous” people. Nine California Department of Justice officers showed up at the couple’s house, without any warrant, and took every gun in the house, including the gun that she had bought her husband for Christmas. Even a letter from her personal psychiatrist that she had sought treatment voluntarily, not involuntarily, did not get her off the list. He then released her before the 72 hours was up.īecause of the “involuntary” commitment, however, she was placed on the armed prohibited persons list. But once the hospital psychiatrist actually had a chance to visit with her, he told Lynette that there should be better policies and procedure in effect, so this doesn’t happen again. Someone wrote down that she might drive herself off a cliff, but it is unknown who wrote that down.Įven more serious, despite admitting herself, it was written down in the paperwork that she was admitted “involuntarily,” and would have to stay in the facility for 72 hours. “That was where my nightmare started,” she recalled. It was full, so they referred her to Aurora Charter Oak. She noticed she was crying easily, so she went to check herself into a local hospital. “I was diagnosed about 13 years ago with anxiety disorder.” Lynette Phillips told Reason.TV, “Because one nurse wrote false information, now I’m on a prohibited persons list,” but, she added, “I’ve never done anything to hurt anybody.” Phillips explained what happened. But as we shall see, the law’s effects go beyond that in practice. This law aims to confiscate guns from persons found in three groups: (1) those with a history of violence (2) wanted criminals and (3) anyone who the state believes has a severe mental illness. In an enlightening video produced by Reason.TV, which can be viewed on YouTube, the effect of an actual red flag law - California’s Armed Prohibited Persons System - demonstrates the danger to our Second Amendment rights. In California, a woman and her husband experienced the tyranny of a red flag law in their state. They are a serious threat to every American’s right to keep and bear arms. Desperate to appear to “do something” about the sporadic, but tragic, mass shootings across America, politicians from the White House to Congress to state legislatures are considering some form of these benign-sounding red flag laws.īut red flag laws are not benign. Red flag laws, which would take guns from people reported to authorities as being likely to shoot someone, are justified by recent mass shootings. The latest scheme to confiscate firearms from American citizens who have not been found guilty of any crime - or even charged with a crime - is popularly known as a “red flag” law.