Last Updated on August 12, 2019
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) released a video insulting Republican voters and supporters of the Second Amendment who are rightfully furious over the politician’s support for so-called Red Flag Laws.
In the aftermath of the El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio shootings, Crenshaw took to social media to advocate for states to adopt Red Flag Laws, which would allow law enforcement to confiscate firearms without due process, and was roundly mocked for the decision. In response, Crenshaw released a disturbing video in which he insulted Second Amendment supporters, calling them “emotional” people who refuse to engage in a “dialogue”.
On Facebook, Crensahw wrote that “There is a big difference between the current understanding of Red Flag Laws, and the kind of laws that conservatives could support,” and proceeded to attempt to explain the difference.
“What came out of [my endorsement] instead was hate filled comments, lots of emotion, a lot of anger, a lot of memes,” said Crenshaw. “The point is that clearly even the words Red Flag Law just emotionally triggered a lot of people, made you guys really mad at me.”
Crenshaw then insulted those who previously supported him, saying “Clearly when we say Red Flag Laws, you guys stop listening. You can’t hear what we’re suggesting.”
The Texas representative went on to explain that, somehow, his version of Red Flag Laws would not come with the egregious lack of due process as the Red Flag Laws that already exist in 17 states.
“You automatically assume that we are just agreeing with the left’s version of that law, and we all know that the left’s version would not be good, it would not protect due process,” said Crenshaw. “At it’s heart, what we’re talking about is the ability to confiscate weapons when there is clear evidence that violence is about to be committed.”
Crenshaw did not explain what such evidence may consist of, or how stripping an American citizen of their Second Amendment rights before a crime has occurred respects due process.
“This isn’t that controversial,” added Crenshaw. “What is controversial is how that due process is protected, and I think that’s where a lot of these concerns are.”
“Making sure that due process could not be abused is at the heart of any conservative solution to the supposed Red Flag Laws,” Crenshaw claimed.
It’s clear that there has been some confusion about what conservatives would support when it comes to laws that try to better protect our communities. Let’s address this directly. Watch. pic.twitter.com/TRYjPIclEm
— Rep. Dan Crenshaw (@RepDanCrenshaw) August 10, 2019
He then went on to say that Republican legislation would prevent certain individuals from calling for gun rights to be stripped, and this would somehow protect innocent Americans.
However, Red Flag Laws are not determined by Congress, and the legislation put forward last year by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) would do nothing to stipulate what is in the bills. Rather, Rubio’s legislation would simply reward individual states with federal dollars for passing Red Flag Laws, regardless of what each state legislature puts in the legislation.
In the past, the NRA has fought “red flag” legislation as “anti-gun” but has recently expressed greater openness to protective orders. In an NRATV video last spring, the group’s top lobbyist said Congress should provide funding for states to adopt “risk protection orders.”
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., reintroduced a bill in Congress earlier this year to do just that, and in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last month, chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., indicated the state level would be a good place to start.
In short, Crenshaw is only telling half the story, if that. There is no such thing as a Republican version of Red Flag Laws, because even Republican-proposed legislation would simply reward states for passing something bearing the name, and would do nothing to prevent a person with an agenda from reporting law abiding Americans to authorities in a bid to have their Second Amendment revoked.
