There have already been several great articles on the Red Flag laws that are being discussed in our Congress right now. But I want to add some thoughts on the subject because of some new developments in both the Senate and the House.
The Senate Bill
A tentative agreement on gun legislation was passed in the Senate last Sunday. At least 11 Republican senators support the framework of the bill, which would give them the necessary votes to pass.
They are as follows (the asterisks will be addressed in a moment):
- Cornyn (TX)
- Tillis (NC) *
- Collins (ME) *
- Cassidy (LA) *
- Graham (SC)
- Toomey (PA) *
- Blunt (MO)
- Burr (NC) *
- Portman (OH)
- Romney (UT)
- McConnell (KY) *
* States with Democratic governors
No Cakewalk
The Senate bill—as is often the case—has some decent things in it, like allowing juvenile records to be included in background checks and increasing resources for mental health. Those are reasonable. But like a sardine baked inside of a beautiful German chocolate cake, they slipped in a Red Flag law.
This provision is in the form of grants to states to implement their own Red Flag laws. I’ll concede that’s the lesser of evils compared to a federally mandated approach, but there’s a couple of problems with this.
First, six of these 11 Republican senators represent states with Democrat governors (denoted with asterisks). And none of these states are among the 19 states that already have Red Flag laws. So, congrats, Tillis, Collins, Cassidy, Toomey and Burr. You all share the “Fool’s Errand of the Year” award. The best-case scenario is losing veto power, and the worst-case scenario is these liberal governors issuing executive orders in the face of an “emergency,” and you’ve given them the funds to carry it out.
Second, even in the states with Republican governors, it’s hard to turn down free money. When they “dangle the carrot,” the governors could get creative and figure out a way to “redirect” some of those funds and by taking the money, they will have to implement some semblance of a Red Flag law. Thus, “the camel gets its nose under the tent.”
The House Version
On June 8, the House passed a bill called the Protecting Our Kids Act. Catchy name, but don’t get too excited. It doesn’t include the tens of thousands of kids dying from Fentanyl that’s pouring in at our southern border, the hundreds of kids getting shot every night in our cities like Chicago, Baltimore and St. Louis, the thousands of our young girls and boys being trafficked as sex slaves, or the close to a million of our precious babies who will be slain in the womb this year. They have ignored these groups of “our kids.”
Five Republicans are onboard for the entire package of the bill … all RINOs. They are Fitzpatrick (PA), Gonzalez (OH), Jacobs (NY), Upton (MI) and of course, Kinzinger (IL).
Five additional members support Title I of the bill, which calls for raising the age for purchasing a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21, even though an 18-year-old is responsible enough to dodge bullets and bombs in a foxhole for our freedom. These members are: Katko (NY), Malliotakis (NY), Salazar (FL), Smith (NJ) and Turner (OH).
I haven’t heard outrage from any of these same people over the libs pushing for 8- or 9 year-olds being responsible enough to get sex-change surgeries without consent of a parent. And for young girls to get abortions without parental consent. I guess there’s no responsibility problem—commensurate with age—with these groups.
The Dems’ Deer in the Headlights Look
Section 230 is “Prohibition on disposition of firearm to person intending unlawful further disposition.” So, if someone has unlawful intentions, they can’t buy a firearm. Maybe Pelosi was the one, who in the viral audio called in to the radio talk show host, complaining that the deer weren’t crossing the road at the deer crossing signs.
Apparently, the deer in her area were ignoring those signs and crossing the road wherever they wanted! News flash: Criminals with bad intentions will no more pay attention to the gun laws than the deer will pay attention to the deer crossing signs. Maybe in the case of the deer, you should slow up or get one of those heavy-duty bumpers. As far as the criminals with bad intentions, maybe we should arm teachers and administrators and beef-up our police forces, instead of defunding them.
Section 301 deals with “Requirement that all firearms be traceable.” Hmm. Why would they want to be able to trace all guns? In a “perfect world,” this wouldn’t be a problem. But you’ve heard the term “street-wise”? Well, many of us have become “government-wise,” especially under this administration. We’ve seen their true colors, and we don’t trust this Stalin-like regime as far as we can throw them.
The House Red Flag Bill
The following day, the House adopted its own Red Flag bill that would allow the confiscation of guns from individuals deemed an “extreme risk.” Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) said, “The only question that matters is who constitutes a dangerous person, who gets to decide, and why.”
These Red Flag laws allow pretty much anybody to get the courts to order the removal of firearms from individuals. An ex-wife/husband, ex-boyfriend/girlfriend, business partner who cheated you, employer who fired you or just didn’t give you the vacation when you wanted it, the professor who flunked you, the guy who sold you that used car that had the transmission problem, or heck, even the owner of the hamburger joint that made your French fries too greasy. There is no end to this insanity!
As they get closer and closer to coming after our guns, I think there will be more Americans saying, “Go ahead, make my day.” {eoa}
Nolan Lewallen, a retired pilot of a major airline, lives near Stephenville, Texas. Nolan’s two greatest passions are the Bible and politics. His new book, The Integration of Church & State: How We Transform “In God We Trust” From Motto to Reality, brings the two together.
Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA APP.
See an error in this article?
To contact us or to submit an article
