2 years after school shooting, Florida 'red flag' law removes hundreds of guns

[applegrove]

Terry Spencer, Associated Press

2 years after school shooting, Florida ‘red flag’ law removes hundreds of guns

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/2-years-after-school-shooting-florida-red-flag-law-removes-hundreds-of-guns?fbclid=IwAR2fc74vvdQdIof-o13z6EeFYIiPoUEEL1p3OsQxrEbpmY_JVfCmE6DH8LQ

"SNIP.....

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A 23-year-old man who posted on Facebook, “I don’t know why I don’t go on a killing spree.” A West Palm Beach couple who shot up their home while high on cocaine. A 31-year-old Gulf Coast man who pointed a semiautomatic rifle at a motorcyclist.

All four Florida residents had their guns taken away by judges under a “red flag” law the state passed three weeks after a mentally disturbed gunman killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland two years ago Friday.

The law, supported by legislators of both parties, has been applied more than 3,500 times since, with the pace accelerating during the last half of 2019. Even so, an Associated Press analysis of the law showed its use is inconsistent, with some counties and cities using it rarely and others not at all.

Advocates of Florida’s red flag measure say before it existed, it was often difficult to remove firearms from those making threats or suffering severe mental breakdowns. Investigators did not act on reports that the Parkland shooter was threatening to carry out a school massacre. But even if they had, it is likely he would have been allowed to keep his guns because he had no felony convictions or involuntary, long-term mental commitments, they say.

.......SNIP"

[lunasun]

1. Kick good read