FLASHBACK: Maryland Man Killed by Red Flag Law
Jose Nino
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Today’s outrage culture has created a sense of amnesia among Americans.
It’s too easy to forget about events that happened months ago.
With discussions about red flag gun confiscation orders heating up after shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio all, gun owners should be reminded of the potential dangers of these laws.
A trip back to November 2018 should refresh our memories.
On the Monday morning of November 6, 2018, a 61-year-old man, Gary Willis, was served a red flag gun confiscation order in Ferndale, Maryland.
Two police officers knocked on Willis’ door at 5 AM in the morning to serve him the court order to take his gun.
What seemed like a routine court order delivery, quickly turned violent.
When the officers demanded that Willis hand over his gun, he became irate and a struggle ensued.
Eventually, one of the cops shot and killed Willis during the struggle.
Anne Arundel County Police Chief Timothy Altomare came to the cops’ defense by asserting that they “did the best they could with the situation they had.”
Maryland’s “red flag” law was signed by Republican Governor Larry Hogan in 2018. In October 2018, the first month Maryland’s red flag law went into effect, 114 requests were made to confiscate firearms.
Fast forward to 2019, more Republicans such as Congressman Dan Crenshaw and Senators Lindsey Graham and Pat Toomey are now supporting this idea, much to their constituents’ potential detriment.
The growing consensus around red flag gun confiscation orders shows that gun rights are no longer respected by both parties in Washington.
The incident that took place last year serves as an omen of what is to come on a national scale if a red flag bill become federal law.
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