The shooting in Virginia Beach that took place on May 31, 2019 the lives of 12 Virginians and wounded four more was a tragedy. There is no denying that fact. However, the notion that the laws being advocated by Progressives require Virginians to surrender their due process rights. Progressives claim that these "pre crime" laws are required to keep Virginia safe but is there any evidence to support such laws in fact reduce gun violence or keep citizens safe.
Now five months removed, Virginia still has not been told why the shooting in Virginia Beach happened. No motives as of yet have been provided for the city employee to commit such an act of violence in his workplace. we simply have been told that he submitted his resignation and had two forty five caliber handguns on his person.
Progressive Democrats would have us believe that "red flag" laws or in truth "Blue Flag" laws would prevent such violence. Yet we still have no knowledge to make that determination or use as a basis for implementing laws that in effect violate our Constitutional rights.
There is nothing constitutional about these laws. The only aspect that aligns with our founding principles is that States can enact such regulations regarding guns and have done so since our founding. States can regulate carry laws or where guns may or may not be carried like "gun free zones". Congress however under the U.S. Constitution has no authority to implement these laws. None.
So when we talk about "Blue Flag" (red flag) laws what are we talking about. These are gun control (not safety) laws that permit police or family to petition a State or Commonwealth court to order the temporary confiscation of firearms from a person who allegedly represents a danger to others or themselves.
A person could be "flagged" for saying insensitive things, perceived threatening speech, not using the right "pronouns", opposing political speech, support another candidate, or simply posts comments on social media that someone objects to in order for a protective "red flag" order to commence. In essence you will see "limited" speech prevail over free speech. Can you imagine the use of "red flag" laws for couples going through a contested divorce or custody dispute? What is to prevent one parent from claiming the other "could" do something to them, the children or the themselves? Mind you it merely only has to be "claimed" not proven to get the order to remove and confiscate the guns. The individual does not get due process of law in truth nor gets to defend himself.
There are roughly 17 states around the country who already have these "red flag" laws but as one identifies these states you will see that the majority are all "Blue" states. Thats right. Only Indiana home to Vice President Mike Pence who was Governor of Indiana from 2013-17 and Florida are the only Republican electoral college states that supported Trump to enact such measures.
Just two out of 15 states. States like California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Delaware all have these measures as a matter of law along with the District of Columbia and yet have they reduced gun violence?
Large amounts of campaign contributions have flowed into Virginia regarding gun control issue. With every seat in the General Assembly on the ballot next month in November, political action committees focused on the gun issue are providing Democrats with support in their bids to unseat Republican incumbents. The Republicans in Virginia currently control both chambers of the Assembly but the Democrats control the Executive.
Democrats have been using the Virginia Beach tragedy for political gain. This can be most visibly seen in the Senate races involving the 8th Senate District and the 7th. Both these districts are along Virginia's eastern coast and where the shooting in May touched many of the communities. Both these districts are heavily comprised of precincts in Virginia Beach City. The 8th has 135K voters all within city limits whereas the 7th has 133K Virginia Beach voters and roughly 5k City of Norfolk voters.
The 8th supported Donald Trump 51-42% over Hillary Clinton and the 7th was a dead heat between the two candidates. Bill Desteph (R) incumbent in the 8th won his district in 2015 with 59% of the vote but the district has supported Tim Kaine and Governor Ralph Northam since his election in 2015. The 7th District supported Kaine, Northam by wider margins than the 8th and Frank Wagner (R) who won the 7th in 2015 with 54% of the vote is no longer on the ballot. Delegate Cheryl Turpin (D) is running against Jen Kiggans (R) for the the districts Senate seat next month. Both Desteph's opponent Cotter Smasal (D) and Jen Kiggans opponent Cheryl Turpin (D) have been endorsed by Everytown, (see below)
The relationship with these districts and the other Senate seats is not unique. Many Virginia Senate Districts have split allegiances when it comes to Party affiliation of its elected officials. This is why the outside money is flowing into these districts to influence the election.
In fact Everytown for Gun Safety through its Action Fund has endorsed 25 Virginia candidates ALL Democrats in this years election providing almost a half million dollars into candidate races. They see potential pick ups in Virginia as result of recent mass shooting across the country but in particular the Virginia Beach shooting.
That being said, we must ask ourselves if the proposals endorsed and financially supported by Everytown and the candidates they have endorsed would actually solve gun violence. Would "Blue Flag" laws decrease gun violence or simply just restrict access by law abiding citizens?
Progressive candidates endorsed by Everytown are not out on the campaign trail endorsing "safety" rather they are advocating for restrictions. Progressives seek to repeal Open Carry laws which permit citizens to carry or transport firearms under the protection of the law. Progressives also seek to reform if not repeal "concealed carry" laws that permit citizens whom have been approved by a judge to carry firearms under concealment or not seen with the naked eye.
Recently, former Congressman Beto O'Rourke took it a step further when he issued the statement that the local governing authorities would "confiscate" firearms not turned over through buy back programs to the federal government. Problem is its not a "buy back" program in truth. No legal gun owner EVER bought a gun from the federal government so it is not buying back anything in truth. And why would law abiding citizens turn over firearms that they purchased only to pay for them again through a buyback but not have use of said firearm? Isn't is tax payer money that O'Rourke is advocating be used to purchase the guns back?
Just the other night, Beto O'Rourke stated that is there is non compliance that local law enforcement would be used to go to citizens homes and confiscate weapons. In Maryland in 2018 law enforcement officers under red flag laws shot and killed a man whom they attempted to remove firearms from as they entered his home. Are we sure these laws would "reduce" violence?
The New York Times has even stated that the data in "inconclusive" as to whether extreme risk protection orders aka red flag orders actually reduce gun violence. Most gun violence in the United States is not the workplace or mass shooting but rather domestic violence often in the homes and often by people who know their victims. There are already means by which protective orders may be granted for domestic violence or threats of violence throughout the Commonwealth.
Has California's or Illinois's gun violence declined after the implementation of red flag laws or extreme protection laws that violate an individuals rights not only to have a firearm but also due process rights. The Constitution protects us from the removal or confiscation of property without due process. Progressives wish to take action against individuals without any criminality, charges or trial and strip them of the rights under the Constitution. They claim its in the interest of public safety.
These actions that Progressives are endorsing are what they like to call "pre crime" actions. They seek to "prevent" crime before it happens. Remember the Tom Cruise sci fi thriller "Minority Report" where they would round up criminals before they acted because they had a system in place that informed them the person would "at some point in time" commit the action.
There is of course NO evidence to support the claim that these "BLUE FLAG" laws actually reduce gun violence. NONE. That of course will not stop Progressive groups from advocating for these laws and Everytown has been a major source of campaign funding for Democrat candidates in Virginia.
The efforts of outside contributions coming from outside the Commonwealth is striking. The 12th District Senate Race has already eclipsed two million dollars spent. Two million.
Everytown has endorsed the following with the expectation they will repeal open carry laws and enforce strict gun control or confiscation efforts in Virginia:
Wendy Gooditis for House District 10
Danica Roem for House District 13
Kelly Fowler for House District 21
David Zilles for House District 23
Larry Barnett for House District 27 #BarnettforDelegate
Joshua Cole for House District 28
Elizabeth Guzman for House District 31
Dan Helmer for House District 40
Hala Ayala for House District 51
Sheila Bynum-Coleman for House District 66
Clint Jenkins for House District 76
Rodney Willett for House District 73
Len Myers for House District 81
Nancy Guy for House District 83
Karen Mallard for House District 84
Alex Askew for House District 85
Martha Mugler for House District 91
Shelly Simonds for House District 94
Cheryl Turpin for Senate District 7 #Turpin
Missy Cotter Smasal for Senate District 8 #Smasal
Ghazala Hashmi for Senate District 10 #Hashmi
Debra Rodman for Senate District 12 #Rodman #DebraRodman
John Bell for Senate District 13
Laura Jane Cohen for Fairfax County School Board
Michael Hammond for Fauquier County School Board
Released by Everytown for Gun Safety: #EverytownforGunSafety #Everytown #EveryDistrict
Last month, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund launched $135,000 in digital ads in 14 Republican-held Virginia state-House and Senate districts. The ads are appearing in four Senate Districts and 10 House Districts spanning the Northern Virginia, Richmond suburbs and Hampton Roads regions, including: SD-07; SD-10; SD-12; SD-13; HD-27; HD-28; HD-40; HD-66; HD-76; HD-81; HD-83; HD-84; HD-91; and HD-94
#guncontrol #VaOpenCarry #OpenCarry #Northam #VaDems #Kiggans #VA12 #VA11 #VA8 #VA7 #VA10 #Chase #Dunnavant #Sturtevant #VAGOP #Redflag #redflaglaws #Beto #VaSenate #freespeech #VaHouse
https://everytown.org/press/everytown-for-gun-safety-action-fund-endorses-25-candidates-in-virginias-2019-elections-donates-438000-to-endorsed-candidates-and-political-committees-working-to-elect-gun-sense-majority/
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