Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Trump Says Many Are Starving in Gaza, Vows to Set up Food Centers

9 hours ago

California Governor Candidate Stirs Outrage With Auschwitz ‘Unemployment Plan’ Post

10 hours ago

Gold Price to Stay Above $3,000/Oz as Flight to Safety Endures

11 hours ago

S&P, Nasdaq at Record Highs as US-EU Trade Deal Sparks Optimism in Pivotal Week

11 hours ago

Trump Warns Iran That Its Nuclear Sites Could Be Bombed Again

11 hours ago

Israel Announces Daily Pauses in Gaza Fighting as Aid Airdrops Begin

1 day ago

California School Board Resigns After Audit Reveals $180M in Improper Funding

2 days ago

A First Look at Fresno State’s Quarterback Battle

3 days ago
Gun Seizure Laws Grow in Popularity Since Parkland Shooting
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
February 11, 2019

Share

In the year since the deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school, more and more states have passed laws making it easier to take guns away from people who may be suicidal or bent on violence against others, and courts are issuing an unprecedented number of seizure orders across the country.
Supporters say these “red flag” laws are among the most promising tools to reduce the nearly 40,000 suicides and homicides by firearm each year in the U.S. Gun advocates, though, say such measures undermine their constitutional rights and can result in people being stripped of their weapons on false or vindictive accusations.
Nine states have passed laws over the past year allowing police or household members to seek court orders requiring people deemed threatening to temporarily surrender their guns, bringing the total to 14. Several more are likely to follow in the months ahead.
More than 1,700 orders allowing guns to be seized for weeks, months or up to a year were issued in 2018 by the courts after they determined the individuals were a threat to themselves or others, according to data from several states obtained by The Associated Press. The actual number is probably much higher since the data was incomplete and didn’t include California.
The laws gained momentum after it was learned that the young man accused in the Florida attack, Nikolas Cruz, was widely known to be mentally troubled yet had access to weapons, including the assault-style rifle used to kill 17 students and staff members last Valentine’s Day at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Several States Are Debating Laws This Year

“Parkland would never have happened if Florida had a red flag law,” Linda Beigel Schulman said during a recent news conference with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is expected to sign his state’s new law any day. Her son, Scott Beigel, was a teacher and coach killed during the Parkland attack.
Florida passed a red flag law as part of a gun-control package in the wake of the shooting. Aside from New York, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont also have adopted variations since then. California, Connecticut, Indiana, Oregon and Washington already had similar laws.

“I know I cannot keep everyone safe, but give me the tools to try.” — Mike Heal, police chief in the town of Aztec
Several states are debating them this year, including New Mexico, where two students were killed in a school shooting in December 2017.
Mike Heal, police chief in the town of Aztec, responded to the shooting at the local high school and testified in support of the red flag proposal, saying, “I know I cannot keep everyone safe, but give me the tools to try.”
The laws are being invoked frequently in many of the states that have them.
Authorities in Maryland granted more than 300 petitions to temporarily disarm individuals in the three months after the state’s law went into effect Oct. 1. Montgomery County Sheriff Darren Popkin said the cases included four “significant” threats of school shootings, and that a majority of the people who were subjects of the orders were suffering from mental health crises.
“These orders are not only being issued appropriately, they are saving lives,” Popkin told lawmakers last month.
In Vermont, a prosecutor obtained an order to strip gun rights from a teenager released from jail after being accused of plotting a school shooting.

A Spike in Warrants Issued to Take Away Weapons

Florida courts granted more than 1,000 orders in the first nine months of its new law. Broward County, which includes Parkland, has been at the forefront, accounting for roughly 15 percent of cases statewide.
Among the first people subjected to the law was Cruz’s younger brother, who authorities said was showing signs of violence after allegedly trespassing at the high school after the shooting. In another case, Florida authorities took dozens of firearms from a bailiff accused of threatening other courthouse employees.

“It really gives us a unique opportunity as prosecutors to come in before the violence has occurred. Often we are tackling it on the other side.” — Kimberly Wyatt, a prosecutor in King County, Washington
Connecticut has the nation’s longest-standing red flag law, which went into effect in 1999 after a mass shooting at the state lottery office. Authorities there say new awareness of the law contributed to a spike in 2018 in warrants issued to take away weapons — 268, the highest total on record, according to court data.
The rise reflects the more aggressive posture police have adopted since the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown and other attacks.
One study found that the Connecticut law reduced gun suicides by more than 10 percent in recent years and that a similar law in Indiana led to a 7.5 percent drop.
“It really gives us a unique opportunity as prosecutors to come in before the violence has occurred. Often we are tackling it on the other side,” said Kimberly Wyatt, a prosecutor in King County, Washington, who has been seeking one or two such orders per week in and around Seattle.
She said authorities use the best available research and their judgment, looking at whether a person has talked about suicide, threatened others, stalked someone or shown signs of a mental health crisis.
Gun-rights advocates argue that the laws can be used unfairly based on unproven accusations.

Most States Allow for Temporary Orders

“In today’s society, the police are going to err on the side of caution. The threshold for issuing these types of warrants has been lowered,” lamented Scott Wilson Sr., president of the Connecticut Citizens Defense League.
Debates in state legislatures often turn on how much due process gun owners should receive and who can petition for the orders. In some states, only police can file the petitions. Other states allow members of the person’s household, relatives, school officials, employers and health care providers to do so.
Most states allow for temporary orders that are issued for days or weeks. Judges then hold hearings to decide whether to extend them for up to one year.
During the debate in New Mexico, Army veteran Rico Giron testified that people could see their guns seized over grudges between family members or neighbors.
“It’s incredibly dangerous because it opens the door for vindictiveness and revenge,” Giron said.
The bill’s sponsor, Democratic Rep. Daymon Ely, said he wants parents to have another option if they have a child suffering from mental illness.
“The state has an obligation to say, ‘Yes, there is something we can do for you,'” Ely said.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Two Arrested in Dollar General Burglary in Fowler, Third Suspect at Large

DON'T MISS

New York City Mayor Says ‘Active Shooter’ Incident Taking Place in Manhattan

DON'T MISS

Shooting Outside Casino in Reno, Nevada, Leaves 3 Victims Dead, 2 Critically Wounded

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Repeat DUI Offender Sentenced to 15 Years to Life for Deadly Crash

DON'T MISS

Venezuelan Little League Team Denied Entry to US Over Travel Ban

DON'T MISS

Fresno Seals Deal with Police Union. No Deal Yet With Firefighters.

DON'T MISS

North Korea Says Trump Must Accept New Nuclear Reality

DON'T MISS

What Does Trump Crackdown on Homelessness Mean for California?

DON'T MISS

Naindeep Singh Joins Fresno City Council Race as Campaign Fundraising Totals Roll In

DON'T MISS

Fresno Home Suffers Major Damage in Saturday Night Fire, Family Cat Rescued

UP NEXT

Venezuelan Little League Team Denied Entry to US Over Travel Ban

UP NEXT

Senator to Unveil Aviation Safety Bill on Eve of Fatal Crash Hearing

UP NEXT

Trump Says He Turned Down Invitation to Epstein’s Island

UP NEXT

Multiple People Shot in Nevada Casino, AP Reports

UP NEXT

US Judge Blocks Trump-Backed Medicaid Cuts to Planned Parenthood

UP NEXT

Trump Asks for Swift Deposition of Murdoch in Epstein Defamation Case

UP NEXT

Democratic North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper Launches US Senate Bid

UP NEXT

3 Men Who Disappeared While Fishing in Mississippi River Are Found Dead

UP NEXT

Trump Warns Iran That Its Nuclear Sites Could Be Bombed Again

UP NEXT

Trump, EU’s Von Der Leyen to Meet on Sunday to Clinch Trade Deal

Fresno County Repeat DUI Offender Sentenced to 15 Years to Life for Deadly Crash

3 hours ago

Venezuelan Little League Team Denied Entry to US Over Travel Ban

3 hours ago

Fresno Seals Deal with Police Union. No Deal Yet With Firefighters.

3 hours ago

North Korea Says Trump Must Accept New Nuclear Reality

4 hours ago

What Does Trump Crackdown on Homelessness Mean for California?

5 hours ago

Naindeep Singh Joins Fresno City Council Race as Campaign Fundraising Totals Roll In

5 hours ago

Fresno Home Suffers Major Damage in Saturday Night Fire, Family Cat Rescued

6 hours ago

Senator to Unveil Aviation Safety Bill on Eve of Fatal Crash Hearing

6 hours ago

Fox Business News Host Throws Shade at Merced Over High-Speed Rail

6 hours ago

Trump Says He Turned Down Invitation to Epstein’s Island

6 hours ago

Two Arrested in Dollar General Burglary in Fowler, Third Suspect at Large

Two suspects are behind bars after a commercial burglary at a Dollar General in Fowler, the Fowler Police Department said on Monday. Officer...

2 hours ago

Two repeat theft offenders were arrested and a third suspect remains at large after a burglary at a Dollar General in Fowler, police said. (Fowler PD)
2 hours ago

Two Arrested in Dollar General Burglary in Fowler, Third Suspect at Large

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a press conference at City Hall in Manhattan in New York City, U.S., June 3, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

New York City Mayor Says ‘Active Shooter’ Incident Taking Place in Manhattan

The Grand Sierra Resort casino is seen after a fatal shooting in Reno, Nevada, U.S., July 28, 2025 in this still image taken from a video. ABC Affiliate KOLO via REUTERS
2 hours ago

Shooting Outside Casino in Reno, Nevada, Leaves 3 Victims Dead, 2 Critically Wounded

3 hours ago

Fresno County Repeat DUI Offender Sentenced to 15 Years to Life for Deadly Crash

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a nuclear cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani (not pictured), at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 16, 2025. (Reuters/Umit Bektas)
3 hours ago

Venezuelan Little League Team Denied Entry to US Over Travel Ban

Fresno City Hall Fresno Police Officers Association
3 hours ago

Fresno Seals Deal with Police Union. No Deal Yet With Firefighters.

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attends wreath laying ceremony at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam March 2, 2019. (Reuters File)
4 hours ago

North Korea Says Trump Must Accept New Nuclear Reality

San Diego Homeless Encampment
5 hours ago

What Does Trump Crackdown on Homelessness Mean for California?

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend