Justice Department Sets Up New Centers To Help Local Political Leaders Implement “Red Flag” Gun Confiscation Orders
Jose Nino
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On March 23, 2024, the United States Department of Justice made an announcement that it would be creating a new entity that has the aim of training state and local politicians on procedures to implement “red flag” gun confiscation orders that temporarily bar certain individuals from owning guns.
The National Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) Resource Center was the entity created under the DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) that aims to allegedly educate and help local officials when they kick off legal proceedings to acquire “red flag” orders that strip an individual’s right to bear arms based on the assumption that they pose a risk to themselves or others, per the DOJ’s press release. The individuals being trained under this program are “law enforcement officials, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service and social service providers, community organizations, and behavioral health professionals.”
“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,” Attorney General Merrick Garland declared in the press release. “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.”
Red flag orders, or ERPOs, are gun control measures that are largely supported by civilian disarmament organizations and squishy Republicans.
Red flag gun confiscation orders are issued by state courts in civil proceedings to bar individuals from buying or possessing guns should they be considered likely to use them to harm themselves or others. 21 states in addition to Washington, D.C. have these laws on the books.
“OJP’s investment in ERPO programs demonstrates the Department’s commitment to addressing the gun violence crisis in the United States,” Assistant Attorney General Amy Solomon declared in the press release. “This crisis cannot be solved at one level of government. We must use all of our resources and collaborate at the federal, state, and local levels to find innovative, evidence-based, and holistic solutions to help keep American communities safe.”
Red flag gun confiscation orders are a clear attack on the Second Amendment and due process rights. The last thing the US needs is an unaccountable government agency that enacts anti-gun measures.
Republicans who purport to defend gun rights should steadfastly oppose these bills.
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