On Thursday, October 10, Fox 13 reported that two people were killed from a shooting in a mobile home park in Tampa Florida. According to the article, which is only credited to Fox 13 Staff, there is no clear motivation for the shooting and the suspects are still on the loose. It is unclear how this could have happened because Florida passed its Red-Flag law immediately after the Parkland Shooting. Since that time more than 2000 people have had their guns seized based on nothing more than hearsay and speculation about what a person might do, and in the meantime, murderers are still getting away with murder. While groups like Everytown for Gun Safety claim Red-Flag laws to be an astounding success, the truth is that they do nothing but focus police efforts on people who probably have no intention of committing a crime while the criminals are still roaming free. As is the case with all gun control laws.
Red-Flag laws are on the books in fifteen states across the country. They violate nearly all aspects of the bill of rights by denying an individual due process before their property is taken on mere suspicion. In most cases, it is up to family members or law enforcement to file for an “extreme risk protection order” against someone they feel may be a danger to themselves or others. After an individual’s guns have been confiscated, they must file a petition with the court to set a hearing a date where they will then have to prove there was no reason to confiscate their guns. In other words, gun owners are now guilty until they can prove their innocence. How did we reach such a point in America where a fundamental principle like the presumption of innocence is so callously thrown away?
In 2013, I wrote the article “The Culture Changing Pop-Tart.” Elementary School student Josh Welch was being suspended from school because his anti-gun, liberal teacher accused him of biting a pop-tart into the shape of a gun. Young Josh claimed he was trying to make a mountain but that didn’t matter to the teacher. The school insisted their actions were necessary to keep the other students safe, from a pop-tart gun. Since this time there has been a series of related incidents. The most recent was the suspension of a Colorado High School student for posting pictures of him and his mother shooting at the range. There was another incident in Kansas with a twelve-year-old who is now facing felony charges for pointing a “finger gun” at other students after her classmates asked her what five students she would kill if she could. This is a gray area because, in my opinion, this does cause some concern but doesn’t warrant felony charges. According to Cam Edwards from Bearingarms.com, two other students from the same school district were caught bringing real guns to school but no charges were pressed against them because there was no evidence they were going to use them. That makes perfect sense.
The truth is that there is a deliberate effort coming from the Department of Education to brainwash our students against guns. The News Education publication, “Educator Guide: The Battle Over Gun Control,” clearly shows how the education system presents a one-sided argument in an attempt to sway the opinions of students into accepting restrictions against their rights. Using the concept of critical theory, they present the pro-gun argument and the anti-gun argument but only provide the studies and statistics of the anti-gun side. They are encouraging students to criticize their own culture to affect social change. In the video below, Eric Holder can be seen describing how to change the public perception of America’s firearm culture.
Guns in America were once viewed as a proud tradition of free and independent people. After years of effective conditioning and teaching techniques, such as active shooter drills and suspending students for displaying any support for gun rights, they are creating a culture of fear and uncertainty. Just as they are with other mass hysteria movements like #metoo, where the presumption of innocence is also thrown to the wayside.
The truth is that you cannot stop murderers from murdering. You can, however, capitalize on the failures of gun control by pushing for further restrictions until the ultimate objective has been achieved. California has had some of the strictest gun laws in the country and was one of the first to pass Red-Flag laws. Governor Newsom recently signed fifteen new gun control measures into law. They have upped the ante and now allow teachers, employers, and co-workers to file “red-flags” against anyone they deem to be a threat to themselves or others. Governor Newsom said that no state does it as well as California, according to Kristen Mitchell. He also said there is so much more they need to do. Therein lies the point. Governor Newsom knows these gun control measures will not stop murder. They will allow him, however, to take advantage of their failures and make the argument that because gun control doesn’t work, the only answer is an all-out repeal of the second amendment. The more gun control fails, the more the people who feel the need to act will call for further restrictions. Florida’s Red-Flag laws are an abysmal failure because they are confiscating guns from people who have done nothing wrong while there are currently two murders on the loose.
Red-Flag laws are not needed. It is already against the law to make threats of violence and a person can be charged with a crime and prosecuted for doing so. In many cases concerning Red-Flag laws, individuals who have been deemed to be dangerous are simply left alone after their guns have been confiscated. They are not arrested or charged with a crime. If they are a threat to themselves or others does it not stand to reason that they may commit an act of violence with something that kills far more people than a rifle? Like a knife or a hammer?
Red-Flag Laws must be opposed on all levels and those that exist need to be repealed before all gun owners are deemed a threat to themselves or others simply for owning a gun.
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