Amid bipartisan negotiations on gun control measures, House GOP Minority Whip Steve Scalise on Sunday railed against red flag laws, claiming that seizing guns from individuals a court deems a threat is “unconstitutional” and argued that taking the guns from potential mass shooters is not going to solve the problem.
The Louisiana Republican told “Fox News Sunday” host John Roberts that red flag legislation, implemented in 19 states across the U.S., are unconstitutional because authorities violate a Second Amendment right to bear arms when they seize firearms from a person who has been found to be a threat.
Scalise also suggested that taking the gun away from the Buffalo, NY, shooter was a non-starter.
“They literally come into your house and take away your gun without you even knowing that there was some kind of proceeding where somebody said, ‘Oh, I think that guy might be a threat,’” the lawmaker said. “Maybe somebody thought taking away a gun from a 19-year-old is going to solve a problem. It happens to be unconstitutional.”
Don't Miss
Scalise’s remarks came as a bipartisan group of senators began meeting last week to draft potential legislation in the hopes of addressing an alarming rise in mass shootings this year, including a gunman who killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, last month. The lawmakers are considering legislation on a national red flag law system, as well as universal background checks.
Polls show a majority of Americans supports such measures to curb the recurring gun violence across the US. But Scalise joins a number of conservative GOP lawmakers who disagree with red flag laws and who say other societal issues should be a priority in combating gun violence.
Watch:
STEVE SCALISE: Under the guise of 'red flag,' they take away due process
ROBERTS: But if that had happened in case of Buffalo shooter, 10 people would be alive today
SCALISE: Well again, due process is a constitutional right pic.twitter.com/OqkAdrckSM
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 5, 2022
