Military Veteran in Florida Has Firearms Seized Under Red Flag Laws After a Case of Mistaken Identity
Shane Trejo
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A military veteran had his firearms permit revoked and his weapons seized recently after cops mistook his identity for a man who was flagged under a risk protection order in Florida.
Jon Carpenter, a military veteran, had his rights revoked under what is commonly called red flag laws because he shared a name with a man who the courts determined was a threat. Carpenter noted that he had nothing else in common with the drifter who shared his name that allegedly made a threat to an elderly couple, which got him red flagged.
“He’s 110 pounds. I’m 200. He has brown eyes. I have hazel. He has black hair. I have no hair,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter was shocked when he was sent a letter from his state that informed him his firearms license had been suspended. Subsequently, he was reported for elder abuse and ordered to surrender his lawfully-possessed firearms.
Carpenter thought that the problem would soon be remedied based on the contents of his letter.
“The state basically said, If it’s not you, go to the courthouse. They’ll give you a letter and they’ll get you reinstated,” said Carpenter.
However, it did not turn out that way for Carpenter. Because of this mistake, he found out first hand about the cruelty of red flag laws and how they are de-facto gun confiscation.
“Then, he finally comes out, and he’s like you basically have to go to court on the 27th, in two weeks. So I said, ‘I’m guilty until I prove myself innocent? That’s why I’m here, trying to show its not me.’ And he’s like, ‘Since you‘re here, you’ve been served. Here’s your restraining order,’” Carpenter said of what he was subjected to under red flag tyranny.
When Carpenter talked to his sheriff’s office, they helped him to get the injunction dismissed and talked to the state so he could get his firearms license back. He learned that this was going to take awhile. While they revoked his rights in a flash, it was much more difficult for him to get them restored.
He said: “They said they process it in the order it was received and it takes 6-8 weeks. I was like, ‘So you can suspend it in one day, instantly, but for somebody else’s mistake, I’ve got to wait 6-8 weeks?’”
Ultimately, Carpenter was able to get the situation straightened out in less time than that due to his persistence, but he believes his story should be used to point out the folly of red flag laws.
Democrats are gung ho about red flag laws, and they are even joined by some Republicans in their gun control efforts. Even President Trump has expressed some vocal support for the idea, while RINOs like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) keep cheerleading for them despite their complete and utter lack of constitutionality.
“Without red flag laws you cannot remove guns from someone unless you adjudicate them incompetent or until they commit a crime and can’t pass a background check and red flag laws help us get ahead of it,” said U.S. Senator Marco Rubio.
“You have to go to court. This is not just willy-nilly. A lot of people are concerned about that. There is due process. There is strong due process,” he added.
However, Carpenter’s case proves that Rubio is not telling the truth, and there is no due process that comes before an individual’s constitutional rights are revoked. Red flag laws are an affront to the 2nd Amendment and all the Founding Fathers fought a revolution to establish.
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