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Red flag alert! Justice Department’s new center strikes at gun rights
The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday unveiled a brand-new entity designed to train state and local officials how to apply red flag laws to confiscate firearms from gun owners who’ve been deemed “a threat to themselves or to others.” These “red flag laws” are called extreme risk protection orders‚ which are “civil court orders that temporarily restrict firearm access for an individual who is behaving dangerously or presents a high risk of harm to self or others.”Public-private partnerships are the method by which the bureaucracy bypasses you‚ the voter‚ to impose what it wants on the American people. Take note of two critical points here. First‚ these are “civil court orders‚” not laws. The laws exist without your say. This is not even legislation that has passed through Congress. The DOJ bypassed the consent of the governed.Second‚ these “civil court orders” deny due process. If you are deemed a “high risk of harm” to yourself or others‚ the authorities will take your firearm without a court hearing. You wouldn’t get a chance to defend yourself in a courtroom among a jury of your peers. The bureaucracy will have the final say. Here’s how the Justice Department plans to bypass Congress to go after your constitutional right to bear arms. The brand new entity is called the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center. Here’s what its main purpose is‚ according to its website:The Justice Department launched the National Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) Resource Center (the Center) which will provide training and technical assistance to law enforcement officials‚ prosecutors‚ attorneys‚ judges‚ clinicians‚ victim service and social service providers‚ community organizations‚ and behavioral health professionals responsible for implementing laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of people who pose a threat to themselves or others.Did you catch that? The Center will assist those “responsible for implementing laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of people who pose a threat to themselves or others.” It claims these are merely “guidelines‚” but don't be fooled. They are laws. Are they laws that you voted for? Did your representative vote for them? The establishment bureaucracy is unhinged from the consent of the governed. The Justice Department said in a statement that extreme risk protection orders laws are:Modeled off domestic violence protection orders‚ [and] create a civil process allowing law enforcement‚ family members (in most states)‚ and medical professionals or other groups (in some states) to petition a court to temporarily prohibit someone at risk of harming themselves or others from purchasing and possessing firearms for the duration of the order.Under the U.S. Constitution‚ I have the right to face my accusers in a court of law. If any one of these parties in this statement‚ whether it be law enforcement‚ family members‚ or medical professionals‚ accuses me of being unfit to own a firearm‚ I have the right to defend myself against them before a judge and a jury of my peers. That is the right to habeas corpus. These laws completely bypass habeas corpus and confiscate your guns through “civil process.”The Justice Department also says its new resource center will “provide training and technical assistance‚ such as the development and dissemination of training for ERPO stakeholders.” Do you suppose you are one of the “stakeholders” in this new federal initiative? I wasn't consulted. Neither was my representative. The bureaucracy just bypassed Congress and went through the Department of Justice. This new bureaucratic initiative is partnering with the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions to provide “training and technical assistance.” It’s a “public-private partnership” — what a surprise! According to Johns Hopkins‚ this assistance will include: Development and dissemination of trainings for ERPO stakeholders; support for states and local jurisdictions to implement ERPO programs; facilitation of peer-to-peer engagements with model ERPO learning sites; delivery of presentations and webinars to advance states’ and localities’ knowledge on key ERPO topics.So‚ the Justice Department is going to work with a school of “public health” to define what people should be looking for when it comes to high-risk gun owners. But since it's a private institution‚ that’s not government overreach‚ right? Public-private partnerships are the method by which the bureaucracy bypasses you‚ the voter‚ to impose what they want on the American people. By the way‚ Johns Hopkins is home to the very first German progressive hospital in the United States. John Hopkins was the root of progressivism in the United States.The Justice Department press release said that 21 states and the District of Columbia have enacted extreme risk protection orders laws. The White House noted that only six of the states that implemented such laws have used federal funds from the bipartisan Safer Communities Act‚ which offers $750 million for “red flag” programs‚ medical health courts‚ drug courts‚ and veteran treatment courts. Do you remember when the government was pushing for veterans to get more money from the Department of Veterans Affairs if they just said they had PTSD? Naturally‚ many people took advantage of that incentive. I was warning people against it because it made you "unstable" in the government's eyes‚ and that makes you a mark for the government to take away your guns. And that is exactly what they will do with this new bureaucratic leviathan.The Justice Department’s preposterous National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center is the latest example of the government’s attempt through “public-private partnerships‚” “civil court orders‚” and other bureaucratic means to disguise what the state is actually doing. It has always been about seizing your constitutional rights and imposing its own agenda‚ regardless of whether you or Congress consent.Want more from Glenn Beck? Get Glenn's FREE email newsletter with his latest insights‚ top stories‚ show prep‚ and more delivered to your inbox.
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