It’s the kind of government overreach that gun owners have warned about for years: Red Flag laws being used to confiscate firearms from innocent Americans — and now, children are being targeted, too.
In Michigan, a state that recently enacted a sweeping Red Flag law, authorities have already confiscated firearms from a family because of an eight-year-old child’s behavior.
You read that correctly. A minor’s actions triggered the confiscation of his mother’s legally owned, securely stored firearms. The mother wasn’t accused of committing any crime. She wasn’t even the subject of the Red Flag order. But Michigan’s law is so broad that it allows authorities to disarm anyone living in the same home as the accused, regardless of guilt or involvement.
Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow defended the confiscation, saying that the law was designed to be broad and that this kind of enforcement is intentional. That should alarm every American who values the right to self-defense and due process.
This isn’t about stopping crime. It’s about government control, pure and simple.
Could This Happen in South Carolina?
While South Carolina does not have an official ‘Red Flag’ law, that didn’t stop our Department of Public Safety from accepting 2.7 million dollars from the Biden Administration’s bribe money to enact “Red Flag” Gun Confiscation. It was South Carolina’s own Lindsey Graham who linked arms with Democrats to enact the largest gun control package that had been passed by Congress in 3 decades. Included in that law came a landslide of federal dollars designed to bribe states into enacting “Red Flag” Gun Confiscation. While there are loopholes that allow that money to be spent elsewhere, gun owners are concerned that our own state bureaucracy is building the infrastructure for “Red Flag” behind the scenes, just waiting to politicize the next tragedy.
Fortunately, State Representative Thomas Beach filed HB 3743 to ban the enforcement of Red Flag laws in Texas and ensure that Biden’s bribe money can never be used to unconstitutionally confiscate firearms from law abiding citizens.
Rep. Beach didn’t mince words. “These laws present a danger to both gun owners and law enforcement. I know I wouldn’t want to sign up to be on a gun confiscation squad in this state,” Rep. Beach explained. “We’re pushing this ‘Red Flag’ ban because no free American should ever have to wonder if a gun confiscation squad is on the way to their house, ever.”
Why Red Flag Laws Are a Threat to Freedom
Red Flag laws don’t just target dangerous criminals. They target anyone accused of being a threat, without a trial, without a conviction, and without the accused even being present to defend themselves. Worse, these laws have expanded to allow the government to confiscate firearms from innocent family members living in the same household.
Even military veterans have faced the consequences of Red Flag-style actions. Veterans who suffer from PTSD or have simply received assistance with managing their financial affairs have found themselves flagged, even if they have committed no crime or haven’t even exhibited threatening behavior.
These individuals, who have bravely defended our nation, risk being unjustly stripped of their Second Amendment rights simply because of a mental health diagnosis or bureaucratic judgment. Such actions not only violate due process but also disrespect the service and sacrifice these veterans have made.
These laws are being enforced before any evidence is presented. Before a court hearing. Before anyone has a chance to speak in their own defense. And as Michigan shows, even children can be the trigger for firearm confiscation that impacts entire families.
Here’s what Red Flag laws actually do:
- No Trial, No Conviction: Firearms can be confiscated before any crime is committed.
- Limited Defense Opportunities: Gun owners often lose their rights without any opportunity to defend themselves in court.
- Third-Party Impact: Entire households can be disarmed, even if only one person is accused of being a threat.
Will Red Flag Laws Reduce Crime?
Supporters of Red Flag laws argue that they’re necessary to prevent violence, but the evidence doesn’t back it up. There is no clear proof that these laws prevent crime. However, there is ample evidence that they violate due process and property rights, while undermining the trust that law-abiding citizens have in government institutions.
If existing criminal laws can’t prevent a violent crime, stripping constitutional rights from innocent people certainly won’t either.
The Battle in South Carolina
While gun owners continue to rally for Beach’s ban on “Red Flag”, establishment Speaker Murrell Smith, decided to snub the most pro-gun legislators in the state and instead appointed anti-gun Democrats to chair powerful committees in Columbia. With those Democrats in place and South Carolina being rated the most liberal Republican-held state for 3 years in a row, the dangers of “Red Flag” are more prevalent than ever.
South must not wait for the first innocent family here to face the same injustice experienced in Michigan. The time to act is now, before a tragedy rooted in government overreach strikes closer to home.
Click here to sign your petition to your elected officials, encouraging them to ban red flag style laws in South Carolina.
