Republican Governor Mike DeWine is the latest in his party to join Democrats in pushing red flag gun laws. But don’t you dare call it that in his state of Ohio. They’re called “Personal Protection Orders” in Ohio. It’s totally different.
Except, it’s not. If anything DeWine’s portrayal of Ohio’s reactionary gun law is worse than a standard red flag gun law because it utilizes the tried and true technique of Orwellian newspeak. He contends the law, which ignores a citizens right to due process by having secreting hearings to determine action, is perfectly in line with due process because “they have to go to court” to get the order. This ignores the fact that due process requires an attempt to allow the accused to defend themselves BEFORE action is taken against them.
In this interview with gun-control-supporting Fox News host Bill Hemmer, DeWine goes so far as to say anti-social behavior makes people a “menace.” He says there are many who exhibit “all the signs.” But here’s the problem with that statement, and it’s the major hole is so many of the talking points being pushed to promote these laws. They readily acknowledge that guidance counselors, health professionals, relatives, and mental health professionals regularly see people exhibit the types of traits found in mass shooters.
“Virtually every one of these cases, as you said, somebody’s looked up a long time ago and said, hey, this guy is giving all the signs, antisocial behavior,” DeWine said. “This guy is a menace and we need to be able to do something. The schools need the tools, we are now giving them the tools to do that.”
This is their evidence that red flag gun laws are necessary. But if there are so many people exhibiting these traits who should not have access to firearms, why aren’t there mass shootings regularly? Why are two mass shootings in a weekend such a huge deal? Based on the criteria for removal of a law abiding citizen’s firearms, shouldn’t it mean that without those laws, the thousands or ten of thousands of people who will be victimized by the law be shooting up Walmarts across the country every day? I’m not making light of the situation, but out of one hand they say the law will go after “many” but the statistics show there simply aren’t “many” shooters out there.
If there are “many” people who exhibit “all the signs” of “anti-social behavior” that makes them a “menace,” shouldn’t there be dozens of mass shootings in Ohio every year? No. His red flag gun law is a solution seeking a problem.
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