A bipartisan effort in the U.S. Congress is underway to pass sensible “Red Flag” laws that would help prevent mass shootings like ones that recently occurred in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.
President Donald Trump is supportive of the measures, as is Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R), who recently told a Fox News affiliate in Tampa, Florida, that if Senate Republican leadership called for an August recess vote on the “Red Flag” measure, he would “be there right away” to vote on the bill.
Shortly after the 2018 Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting that left 17 students and teachers dead, Rubio co-sponsored “ the Extreme Risk Protection Order and Violence Prevention Act” and reintroduced the same legislation earlier this year.
“A gun violence restraining order is one of the most effective policies we can put in place to prevent another tragedy like Parkland,” Senator Rubio said. “We can help keep our schools and communities safe by empowering law enforcement or family members to use the judicial system to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals. This idea has already proven successful in states like Florida, and it is my hope that this bill will get other states to do the same thing.”
During the interview with Fox Tampa, Rubio says “Red Flag” laws “ make all the sense in the world.”
Here is the transcript of the interview:
Rubio: “[‘Red Flag’ legislation] makes all the sense in the world. Today, if you identify someone as dangerous, you can’t do anything about the guns or the weapons they have until they commit a crime.”
Rubio: “How it works in Florida, is that you have to go before a judge. It can only be a family member, or someone who lives with you, or law enforcement. You have to prove to a judge that this individual is a danger, and you have to meet a certain standard, and then they can issue a court order, which can’t be any longer than a year.”
Rubio: “In the case of Parkland back when it happened, in the case of Ohio today, and in the case of Texas, they do not have ‘Red Flag’ laws. Meaning you cannot go to court today and remove a gun from someone no matter how many signs they’ve exhibited.”
Rubio’s statement on the Dayton and El Paso shootings:
“As a father, husband, and American, I am as concerned as anyone about the serious epidemic of violence plaguing our nation. Whether this violence is the product of radical jihadists, white supremacists, or personal grievances, too many killers have taken the lives of far too many innocent Americans. We must confront the societal and cultural issues that breed violence.
“Research has shown that the vast majority of these terrorists and killers exhibit clear warning signs before committing these atrocities. That is why I have offered a number of bipartisan proposals to help identify and stop them before they act. I will continue to push for these solutions and support any new law that can prevent these tragedies.”
