Last week marked another grim milestone for more tyrannical gun control and Second Amendment violations by Biden's DOJ, this time through the ERPO. The DOJ collaborated with the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University to launch the National Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) Resource Center. This program will utilize taxpayer dollars to promote state "red flag" firearm seizure laws by raising awareness, advocacy, training, and gathering resources, including links to fillable forms for filing "red flag" applications. Why is this problematic? For one, it enables the government to label individuals with a red flag notice, leading to the denial of firearm purchases or seizure of previously owned weapons. In short, it is another means for the government to violate the people's Second Amendment rights under the guise of protection. We, the people, do NOT consent to our taxpayer dollars being used for this program, and we demand that Congress repeal it!

So what exactly is the ERPO? This resource center originates from the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). As usual with such tyrannical acts, the bill's contents are vague, allowing for interpretation and potential abuse of power. For instance, the NRA warned that it could be abused to restrict lawful gun purchases, infringe upon the rights of law-abiding Americans, and use federal funds to support gun control measures adopted by state and local politicians. It is also noted that the bill grants "too much discretion in the hands of government officials," with "undefined and overbroad provisions" that invite interference with constitutional freedoms.

Now, let's revisit the ERPO. As mentioned earlier, the BSCA can appropriate federal dollars to fund gun control measures adopted by state and local politicians, which is precisely how the ERPO was funded. How much funding exactly? A whopping $750 million. The ERPO, in turn, adds another layer of gun control measures through red flag laws, enabling various individuals, including police, health practitioners, family members, and sometimes even teachers and community members, to petition courts to suspend an individual's Second Amendment rights and order the seizure of lawfully owned guns. Many of these laws allow for "ex parte" emergency orders that authorize firearm seizures before the respondent has an opportunity to respond to the petitioner's allegations. These allegations do not have to assert illegal activity but only vague concerns about potential future dangerousness.

The absurdity of this "resource center" and its role as another means for the government to strip law-abiding Americans of their Second Amendment rights is evident in the aftermath of individuals subjected to red flag law procedures. The red flag law procedure provides no mechanisms for the stabilization or incapacitation of the supposedly dangerous individual other than firearm prohibitions and seizures. Individuals may be left to their own devices and, indeed, remain in possession of other types of weapons or means of committing lethal harm. The objective—the sole objective—is to ensure respondents cannot exercise the right to keep and bear arms.

Fortunately, some in Congress have recognized the absurdity of this "resource center," with Jim Jordan recently announcing an investigation into its formation—a move that all of Congress needs to support!

The BSCA and the ERPO are nothing but tyrannical mechanisms for the government to excuse its violations of law-abiding citizens' Second Amendment rights. It is time for Congress to halt these programs and launch a full investigation into them. Moreover, Congress must REPEAL the BSCA and terminate all ERPO activities, as these measures are unconstitutional. Congress, protect Second Amendment rights! Stop seizing our guns!