GOP Governor Calls for Legislature to Pass Red Flag Law

Government at all levels never let a crisis go to waste to tread on our inalienable rights.

We’re witnessing another example of this play out in Tennessee.

In the wake of the Nashville Christian school shooting, Gov. Bill Lee (R) has caved to gun control advocates to trample on the rights of his constituents.

Lee signed an executive order Tuesday to strengthen background checks on firearm purchases and has called for the state legislature to pass a red flag law.

The inalienable rights violation would aim to ‘prevent guns from getting into the hands of people considered a danger to themselves or others.’

When you allow the government to decide who is a danger to themselves or others, it’s a precedent the government will surely abuse.

Here’s the latest from Tennessee:

Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee has signed an executive order designed to strengthen background checks, and called on the state Legislature to pass the equivalent of a red flag law. https://t.co/I2Kaf5Gwwx

— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 12, 2023

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) caved on his opposition to gun control just over two weeks after the Nashville Christian school shooting and called for state legislatures to pass a red flag law. https://t.co/W7f6DmCoYL

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) April 12, 2023

Governor caving to the anti-gunners! AFA staff is on the ground in Tennessee fighting this attack on our Second Amendment rights!https://t.co/7HC7dogtEd

— American Firearms Association (@2A_Freedom) April 12, 2023

After a mass shooting in Nashville, Tennessee's Republican governor said he'll sign an executive order strengthening background checks for gun purchases.

He also called for lawmakers to pass a red flag law to temporarily remove guns from dangerous people. https://t.co/iXOHthGfYX

— POLITICO (@politico) April 11, 2023

Democrat Senator Chris Murphy said “good for Gov. Lee” for pushing the state legislature to pass a red flag law.

“Every state should have a red flag law. They enjoy broad apolitical support from the public. They work. They don’t infringe on anyone’s rights,” Murphy added.

Good for Gov. Lee.

Every state should have a red flag law. They enjoy broad apolitical support from the public. They work. They don’t infringe on anyone’s rights.

Just common sense to be able to intervene when someone is threatening harm. https://t.co/VWo0tsoFGa

— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 12, 2023

Murphy is absolutely wrong!

Red flag laws are indeed an infringement on our inalienable rights.

Gov. Lee is absolutely violating the rights of his constituents.

Breitbart reported:

Connecticut was the first state in the Union to adopt a red flag law, doing so in 1999. The law did not prevent the December 14, 2012, attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School from occurring.

In October 2014 Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed California’s gun violence restraining order legislation into law. On June 5, 2022, Breitbart News pointed out California was the number one state in the Union for gun control and also the number one state for “active shooter incidents.”

Nevertheless Gov. Lee is now pushing a red flag law for Tennessee.

The Tennessean quoted Lee saying, “I’m asking the General Assembly to bring forward an order of protection law. A new, strong order of protection law will provide the broader population cover, safety, from those who are a danger to themselves or the population.”

Politico observed Lee plans to meet with leaders of the state legislature in hopes of persuading them to support the gun control measure.

The Tennessee Firearms Association said in a statement:

On April 11, 2023, Governor Bill Lee called for the Tennessee Legislature to respond to the public’s emotional response to the Covenant School murders by enacting a law to make sure mentally ill people do not have access to firearms. He did not use the term “Red Flag” but that is the correct label for the kind of law that Governor Lee described as a “new protective order”.

Tennessee’s Legislature has a super majority of Republicans. Many of those Republicans have campaigned as strong Second Amendment supporters and continue to claim that they are. Many of them have told their constituents that they would never support a “Red Flag” law. Some may have answered candidate surveys or signed pledges assuring the voters that they would never support a “Red Flag” law in Tennessee. Now Republican Governor Lee calls on them to violate those promises and assurances and to pass a “Red Flag” law.

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A “Red Flag” law is sometimes referred to as an “extreme risk protection order”. Independent of the label that someone places on it to conceal its purpose, a Red Flag law is a type of gun control law and is normally a type of law that the progressive left seeks to enact.

A “Red Flag” law is a scheme that allows almost anyone to claim that a specific individual posses a firearm and that they person is also some degree of risk of harm to themself or others. In some “Red Flag” systems a court has the authority to issue an order to direct law enforcement to seize the individual’s firearms and to notify the relevant government authorities that the individual is banned from purchasing firearms. Generally, the initial seizure order is issued “ex parte” which means that the individual is not notified that the “Red Flag” seizure order is being requested, that a court is considering whether to issue it, or even that it has been issued until law enforcement comes to execute the order and seize the individual’s firearms.

The individual has no “due process” options to oppose the initial ex parte hearing or order. The individual has no opportunity to be represented by an attorney at the initial ex parte hearing. The individual has no right to have an attorney appointed for them before their constitutionally protected rights are trampled. Depending on the order, it can be in effect for weeks, months or even years.