Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a popular Republican representing Texas’ second district, has made what appears to be a knee jerk reaction. This is unfortunate for constitutional gun owners who are tired of seeing their rights chipped away piece by piece, state by state, every time a crazed lunatic commits an atrocity like the ones we’ve seen in the last couple of days in El Paso, TX, and Dayton, OH.
In a Tweet today he stated:
These disgusting mass shootings have been following a pattern ever since Columbine. Sick and lonely men have decided this is how they will vent their frustration.
The solutions aren’t obvious, even if we pretend they are. But we must try. Let’s start with the TAPS Act. Maybe also implement state “red flag” laws, or gun violence restraining orders. Stop them before they can hurt someone.
SEE TWEET FROM @RepDanCrenshaw BELOW:
He’s right that mass shootings are disgusting horrific acts. But taking away constitutional rights from citizens are equally as horrific when you think of the implications and the slippery slope that it precipitates. Red flag laws give the government the right to temporarily seize guns from citizens who haven’t committed crimes, based on what they deem to be a suspicious activity or reports from people who feel unsafe. These make for a very grey area in the law and however well-intentioned opens the door to a litany of problems.
One example of a red flag law gone wrong is a man in Maryland who was shot and killed by an officer during a red flag seizure.
Other Republicans such as Floridas’s Brian Mast have made similar flip flops in recent years. Mast, a US Congressman, switched from being an ardent supporter of gun rights and a braggadocious NRA member to supporting a ban on assault weapons. Solutions must be sought to prevent these horrific events from happening but second amendment supporters want the people they elect to be more creative and smart and not let fear-mongering take hold and control their legislation.
As for Crenshaw, it is yet to be seen if he will follow up his statements with legislation or more calls for red flag laws or if it was a knee jerk reaction.