'Red Flag Laws' Could Allow the Removal of Guns from an Individual

After the Florida school shooting and this week's shooting at the headquarters of YouTube, there's a renewed push in Texas to pass a so-called Red Flag bill that would give law enforcement more power to temporarily strip potentially dangerous people of their gun rights, 1200 WOAI news reports.

"The theory behind it is, to give law enforcement and these families an opportunity to intervene before the violence happens," Kevin Lawrence, Executive Director of the Texas Municipal Police Association says.

The law, which is already in place in California, Oregon, Washington, Indiana and Connecticut, would allow family members, attorneys or doctors to go to a judge when they believe someone has both access to firearms and is presenting violent tendencies.

In California, the father of Nasim Aghdam said that one day before his daughter opened fire at YouTube headquarters, he warned police that she was upset at the company and might be planning to go to its offices.

In Florida, the sheriff’s office was warned 23 times about Nikolas Cruz, who went on to kill 17 classmates.  They knew about an Instagram post in which he planned to shoot up the school, but there was little they could do.

In Texas, Red Flag laws have been pushed unsuccessfully since 2015.  

Ed Scruggs, with Texas Gun Sense, is not surprised that they've failed, given the fiery debate over any gun law, whether it's to expand or contract their legal use.

The gun control group is planning to make the legislation a priority in 2019, when lawmakers get back to work, he tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI. 

That would make Texas the 23rd state in the nation considering a similar bill, according to the group Everytown for Gun Safety.

Lawrence agrees that it will be an uphill battle in Texas, but he says it's one worth fighting for.

"There are too many cases where, even if law enforcement does have information, there really is no process... there is no legal steps they can take to do anything."


PHOTO: Getty Images


View Full Site