Under a new California law, which is sure to be rife with abuse, police can confiscate lawfully owned weapons.
The only justification police need to seize legally owned private property will be a family member or a law enforcement officer claiming that a person may commit gun violence.
“The new ‘Gun Violence Restraining Order’ Law will give families and law enforcement a needed tool to reduce the risk of mass shootings and gun violence both in the home and on our streets,” said Nick and Amanda Wilcox, legislative co-chairs of the California Chapters of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
Under the so-called gun violence restraining order in the court system, immediate family members and law enforcement agencies could ask a judge to order guns temporarily removed from certain individuals.
Of course, it has wide support from all levels of law enforcement agencies.
The legislation was introduced as a reactionary measure to the tragedy which occurred in May of this year. Elliot Rodger, a spoiled Hollywood brat and psychopath, went on a shooting rampage which left 6 dead and 13 injured.
Because of the actions of a single sick individual, Californians will become less free. This is after all, the nature of the US police state, to react to situations by stripping Americans of their freedoms.
Sure, on the surface this seems like a rational idea; no one wants a crazed maniac with a death wish to have guns. However, the instances of mass shootings are so rare, that it’s a complete crapshoot of whether or not this Orwellian law will prevent anything at all.
California already has some of the toughest handgun restrictions in the US. Gun owners must pass a state and federal background check. They then must wait ten days after the purchase of a handgun before they can pick it up at the store. There are also several other laws on the books to prevent dangerous and unstable people from obtaining firearms.
Despite these already strict laws, and diagnosis with Asperger Syndrome, Rodger was still able to discreetly purchase 3 handguns and kill people. We’ve witnessed time and again that sick criminals who want to kill, will kill, and the laws which try and stop them only hinder the freedoms of those who’ve never and will never commit a crime.
What this law will do, however, is encourage family members to trust in the state rather than themselves. It promotes ‘snitching’ to authorities and is wide open for abuse. It is no mistake that this ‘snitch culture’ is the subject of so many dystopian novels.
The ‘what-if’ scenarios are endless in regards to how police will begin taking guns from the citizens of California, or how feuding family members will use the state as their own personal tool of oppression.
While Assembly Bill No. 1014 has a clause in it which states that it is a misdemeanor to use this law “with the intent to harass,” the burden of proof will be placed on the accused which makes it nearly impossible to fight without significant monetary and legal resources.
Disgruntled teens will finally have their revenge on daddy for grounding them over the weekend. Ex-girlfriends/boyfriends now know they can totally have the last laugh.
“I heard uncle Matt say that the 2nd Amendment is for resisting tyranny not for hunting, we should call the police.”
The wording of the bill also clearly states that not only a family member but a law enforcement officer “may file a petition requesting that the court issue an ex parte gun violence restraining order enjoining the subject of the petition from having in his or her custody or control, owning, purchasing, possessing, or receiving a firearm or ammunition.” Yet another wide open door for abuse and corruption.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, the magnitude of rights violations that will stem from this legislation are unimaginable.
One thing that we can all depend on however, is that police officers will largely be immune from this bill, despite showing a willingness to kill or presenting a danger to themselves or those around them.
Matt Agorist’s article appears courtesy of The Free Thought Project.
