“The uncomfortable answer is that red flag laws aren’t built to stop criminals. They’re built to give politicians talking points while stripping the rights of the people who actually follow the law.”
Red flag laws are a direct assault on our Constitution. They strip citizens of their firearms in violation of the Second Amendment, allow unreasonable searches and seizures in violation of the Fourth, and deny due process protections guaranteed under the Fifth and Fourteenth. By permitting secret hearings where the accused cannot confront their accuser or present a defense, they trample the Sixth Amendment. They also impose punitive measures without conviction, raising serious Eighth Amendment concerns. In short, red flag laws shred multiple constitutional protections at once and once due process is gone, every right is at risk.
The tragic mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis has already become political fuel for those who want to expand gun control.
Gov. Tim Walz is openly weighing a special gun-control session to push for an “assault weapons” ban and more restrictions, while Rep. Tom Emmer says Minnesota’s existing “red flag” law should have prevented the killer from obtaining firearms in the first place.
But here’s the hard truth: Minnesota already had a red flag law. It did nothing.
A Law That Failed at Its Central Promise
Red flag laws are sold to the public as a way to disarm dangerous individuals before they commit violence. Yet in this case, the suspect filled notebooks with hatred, praised mass murderers, and still managed to legally obtain firearms. If these laws don’t stop a would-be killer who practically advertised his intentions, what good are they?
By Tred Law
