In the immediate aftermath of the passage of the massive end-of-session spending bill, the Biden Administration rolled out information about a new resource center regarding so-called “Red Flag” firearm confiscation laws.
Fox News reported that the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the new National Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) Resource Center early on Saturday morning while media attention was on the budget vote.
The DOJ press release says it will provide training and technical assistance to law enforcement officials, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service and social service providers, community organizations, and behavioral health professionals responsible for implementing laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of people who pose a threat to themselves or others.
“The launch of the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center will provide our partners across the country with valuable resources to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The establishment of the Center is the latest example of the Justice Department’s work to use every tool provided by the landmark Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to protect communities from gun violence.”
Conservative lawmakers and gun rights organizations quickly assumed the worst and slammed the initiative.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) posted on X, formerly Twitter, “What the hell is this evil? A Federal Red Flag center: We did not authorize this. Announced, of course, just hours after the omnibus passes.”
What the hell is this evil?
A Federal Red Flag center;
We did not authorize this.
Announced, of course, just hours after the omnibus passes. https://t.co/IkuK0aTeV8— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) March 23, 2024
A PJ Media report claimed that expanded Red Flag laws are designed to make gun confiscation based on a third-party complaints and secretly heard in court a national program.
It questioned why a federal resource center was needed when “Red Flag” laws have only been enacted in 21 states and the District of Columbia.
CBS News reviewed the difference between several different “Red Flag” laws on the books after the 2022 Highland Park, Illinois Fourth of July mass shooting. In that case, the young perpetrator was able to skirt the state’s law enacted in 2019 to prevent dangerous individuals from purchasing and owning firearms.
