We covered this story when it first broke, but I wanted to give you an update. Jon Carpenter, the veteran who was disarmed under Florida's red flag law because of a case of mistaken identity, has finally gotten his rights back. But it wasn't easy...
Last year, Carpenter received a certified letter from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services informing him that his concealed carry permit was being suspended because he committed "acts of domestic violence or acts of repeat violations." When he went to the Police Station to question the confiscation notice, he was informed that his 2nd Amendment rights were being suspended and he was ordered to surrender his firearms.
Carpenter was shocked. He is a Marine veteran and has no criminal record. What could he have possibly done that would have triggered a confiscation order?
Well, it turned out that Jon Carpenter didn't do anything wrong himself. It was a case of mistaken identity. There was another Jonathon Carpenter, a homeless drifter, who had threatened to hurt an elderly woman. The Jon Carpenter that Police were actually looking for was 110 pounds with thick black hair. The man that they served a confiscation warrant to was 220 lbs and completely bald.
But the officers didn't care. They confiscated his firearms and told him to take it up with the judge.
This is what we are seeing in all of the states that have already implemented so-called Red Flag laws. Innocent Americans are having their rights taken away.
And now, the Republican Party wants to make this a nationwide program...
For months, Lindsey Graham (SC) has been working with Chris Murphy (CT) (shown above) on a national red flag law. Every time they have been about to roll it out, it has been overshadowed by something else happening in Congress. First, it was blocked by the Kavanaugh confirmation. Then, it got placed on the back-burner because of impeachment.
But now, both Senators believe they have come up with a "compromise" gun confiscation plan.
Just to be clear, there is no such thing as a gun confiscation compromise. Compromises are supposed to include a give-and-take. This bill has none of that.
To be clear, Red Flag laws work by giving the government the power to confiscate someone's firearms before charging them with a crime. Under the law, someone has to actually break the law in order to lose their right to keep and bear arms. It is the government's responsibility to prove that guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. But with Red Flag laws, police and prosecutors can now disarm innocent people without ever even needing to charge them with a crime.
There was another case in Denver, Colorado that shows how dangerous Red Flag laws can be. A 26-year-old man was being investigated for domestic violence. As part of the investigation, police temporarily seized the suspect's firearms. But after the department handed their evidence over to the prosecutor's office, the district attorney concluded that there was not enough evidence to secure an indictment. The case was dropped.
By law, the police were required to return the now-cleared suspect's firearms. But instead, the police department used Colorado's newly-enacted Red Flag law to prevent this innocent man from getting his firearms back. Even though prosecutors declined to press charges and the investigation was closed, police accused him of being dangerous anyway and re-confiscated his firearms.
This is how Red Flag laws work. Instead of the government having to prove someone guilty in order to take away their guns, these laws force disarmed gun owners to prove they are innocent in order to get their firearms back...
And the Graham-Murphy bill would take this injustice nationwide...
Now that impeachment is over, Democrats and Republicans are eager to get something done. There is a lot of talk in DC about passing an infrastructure bill and lowering drug prices, but Leftists are eager to push this disarmament bill through.
Every state that has already enacted Red Flag laws has seen them abused. If this national Red Flag bill passes, and the government is given the power to confiscate guns from innocent Americans, there will be no coming back...
The only way to stop this is to fight back right now!
Now or never,
Joe Otto
Conservative Daily
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