Our neighbor to the north has been
very active lately in its push to restrict our rights under the Second
Amendment. On February 20, Virginia lawmakers announced their agreement on a
“red flag” law backed by Governor Northam.
On its surface, the bill seems to
appeal to common sense. It would allow law enforcement officers to take away
guns from anyone they regard as a threat to use a firearm to commit a crime.
Sounds simple enough. So, what’s the problem?
First, we’re not talking here about
the Michael Bloomberg “stop and frisk” policy that had cops targeting
suspicious dudes walking around in bad neighborhoods. We’re talking about
authorities breaking into people’s homes to search for guns.
Well, Virginia legislators had
qualms about cops behaving like the Gestapo, so they agreed that an officer
should first get what’s euphemistically called an “emergency risk protection
order” from a judge, short for permission to do it. Then, the officer should
politely say, “Please give up your guns.” Which, of course, implies, “Or else
I’ll break down the door and take them, whether you like it or not.”
Legislators had qualms about that,
too, so their bill now says to law enforcement officers the equivalent of,
“Make sure you get a warrant first, so you can wave it in the guy’s face as you
enter his house.”
Second, there was the matter of what
kind of guns qualify for seizure. That’s a whole other matter highlighted by
the appearance of thousands of gun owners at a rally at the Virginia Capitol on
January 20. That was a pretty clear signal to the pinheads in Richmond that
seizing guns of any kind from legal gun owners would be more than a little
problem. So, legislators had to find a way around the rights spelled out in the
Second Amendment. That’s where the “red flag” law comes in.
The “red flag” law is not about
people using guns to defend themselves in their homes. No, it’s about mentally
ill souls who might shoot up a school. Or, heaven forbid, place a revolver to
their temple and blow their brains out. After all, isn’t the rate of suicides
going up?
Third, having identified the
category of people subject to the “red flag” law, and having assured cops by
waving a warrant they are legally permitted to take action against a mentally
ill gun owner, there remained the question of who determines beforehand that
the targeted individual actually meets the criterion for mental illness. That’s
a toughie, because police officers may not have the required qualifications to
make that determination, and besides, they have better things to do than to conduct
an investigation.
Ah! But the legislators found a way
around that. Let’s give the seized-gun owner the right to a hearing to
determine if his guns are to be kept longer than 14 days. Republican opponents
said, “But what does the fellow do to protect his home in the meantime?”
Forgive the sarcasm in my
interpretation of this “red flag” law. But it seems to me that Virginia’s
Democratic legislators, with the backing of the governor, are really looking to
legitimize the seizure of guns—from anybody, for any reason, at any time—in
direct violation of the Second Amendment. Period.
American citizens aren’t going to
stand for this. The gun-owner rally in Richmond was the first sign of their
determination. Now, localities are declaring themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries.
Some counties are even looking to secede from the state and proclaim allegiance
to West Virginia.
Closer to us, Commissioners for
Chowan County passed a resolution on the 17th of February in support
of the Second Amendment. It says, in effect, that they will oppose any North
Carolina legislation affecting the Second Amendment right of citizens to bear
arms. Perquimans County Commissioners should do the same.
Democrats want a fight? Bring it on.
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