New York State is racking up its illegal gun confiscations. “Extreme Risk Protection Orders” (ERPO), a.k.a. “Red Flag Laws,” a.k.a. “Confiscation Without Due Process,” are becoming the totalitarian tool for Governor Hochul and her henchmen. Recently, the Democrat Governor signed an executive order making it mandatory that police file an ERPO application under circumstances when there is “credible” evidence that a person can be a risk to themselves or others. This new policy removes the option for police to decline the action, and “credible” seems to be vague in its definition.
Last year, judges approved 1,600 Red Flag confiscations in Suffolk County alone. Across the state, the number of confiscations reached 4,300 in 2022. This is up from 222 in 2021, resulting in a 1900% increase.
The State of New York makes the claim that these confiscations are necessary to deal with people who may have mental issues that cause them to want to harm themselves or others. The obvious problem we see is that nothing is being done to evaluate their mental health and give them the help they need. Actions by the State seem to be focused purely on confiscating firearms, which poses a risk of false accusations to all New York residents.
So many guns have been confiscated that storage is becoming a problem. According to the Washington Post, Timothy Dymond, the President of the New York State Police Investigators Association, recalls people saying, “Where the heck are we going to put all this?” When referring to the storage problem, a senior state official, who refused to reveal his identity, said, “It’s a good problem to have.” “It means our strategy is working.” This also, according to the Washington Post.
Of course, New York State is using tragedies like the Buffalo supermarket killing as justification to take guns from people who have not necessarily done anything wrong. Some media outlets made it a point to report that the Buffalo killing was of black people. This indicates racism, which has become a common tool to push for unconstitutional legislation.
The new state policy includes the possibility of a wider range of people accusing others of being a risk to society. The list of those given authority to accuse and speculate on the mental stability and/or level of societal risk a person may pose includes family members, police, health officials, and school officials. Keep in mind any of these folks who may have a hatred for the 2nd Amendment or an irrational fear of guns can easily make untrue accusations. This, of course, maybe why the State allows these confiscations to take place without due process for the accused.
Democrat Governor Hochul is praising this new policy as “a model for the rest of the nation.” she claims this is a way to prevent deadly tragedies yet makes no mention of violating the Constitutional rights of Americans in the process. A simple accusation from another person out of vengeance or irrational fear is a possibility.
New York State seems to be making a habit of refusing to look at data when creating new laws that violate the Constitutional rights of New York residents. In this case, an official said, “Quite frankly, we didn’t look at other states. We thought this would be the right step.” You may remember Kathy Hochul being questioned about whether she had numbers to back up gun legislation that affects lawful permit holders. Her response was “I don’t need to have numbers.”
Rochester, New York, Lawyer Daniel Strollo, who has represented people defending themselves against Red Flag petitions, said, “You’re presumptively going to lose access to your guns, that’s the practical effect.” he also said the requirement that police officers file such orders is “insulting” to their expertise and experience.
About Dan Wos, Author – Good Gun Bad Guy
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Dan Wos is a nationally recognized 2nd Amendment advocate, Host of The Loaded Mic and Author of the “GOOD GUN BAD GUY” book series. He speaks at events, is a contributing writer for many publications, and can be found on radio stations across the country. Dan has been a guest on Newsmax, the Sean Hannity Show, Real America’s Voice, and several others. Speaking on behalf of gun-rights, Dan exposes the strategies of the anti-gun crowd and explains their mission to disarm law-abiding American gun-owners.
If all these people were such a risk, why hasn’t one officer been shot during the confiscation ? Theft should be a death sentence. And this is exactly what they are doing. Taxation is theft too.
Seig heil! Hochul Seig heil!