Tuesday, June 14, 2022

We know what Red Flag enforcement looks like

I've seen how this movie ends:

I've linked several times to posts over at the blog Dispatches from TJICistan.  TJIC is an outspoken (some might say extremely so) advocate of smaller government.  He's also a firearms owner in the People's Republic of Massachusetts.  While he owns guns, it appears that he's no longer allowed to possess any:

ARLINGTON (CBS) – A blog threatening members of Congress in the wake of the Tucson, Arizona shooting has prompted Arlington police to temporarily suspend the firearms license of an Arlington man. 
It was the headline “1 down and 534 to go” that caught the attention. “One” refers to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in the rampage, while 534 refers to the other members of the U.S. House and Senate.

Police are investigating the “suitability” of 39-year-old Travis Corcoran to have a firearms license

Let's ignore for the moment how many people were investigated for making similar comments about George W. Bush.  Let's look at the "logic" being exercised by the Arlington Po-Po, shall we?

They claim that Corcoran is so dangerous that, while he has done nothing more than put up a blog post, he must be restrained from possessing firearms.  However, it appears that it's not worth it for the police to follow him, or stake out his place, or arrest him.

Huh?

Look, guys, if you think that his speech rises to the level of an actual threat of specific harm to specific persons, he should be in jail.  If you're not sure, then do the leg work to establish whether it is or not.

Ah, I was so young and optimistic, 11 years ago.  After all, we had ferocious conservative Republicans ferociously conserving things.  But even then it was clear where this would go:

It would be one thing if the law were applied equally to all.  It's not, and it will be applied disproportionately to us, because we hold views considered by some in power to be Double Plus Ungood.

Divemedic says the same, in fewer words.  He also has some suggestions on a strategy you can use.

Thanks to the GOP, we're all TJIC now.


There's a reason that they're called the "Stupid Party".  And there's a reason that the Democrats are called the "Evil Party".

9 comments:

Old NFO said...

I remember that. Sigh...

danielbarger said...

And when both sides get together to pass stupid evil laws it's called "bipartisanship".

Unknown said...

Any way to get another link to his site, or might he have some other different URL? I cannot get into his site, and am advised "insecure site," and thereafter, nada. Thanks

Fredrick said...

No worries. Nobody in Antifa or BLM will get red flagged.

The Lab Manager said...

This is why I'm for abandoning background checks. I'd rather have violent criminal be able to buy a gun than be disarmed by these kind poop heads which is the greater danger.

To be honest, keeping Giford alive was waste of medical resources given her anti-gun and bigoted views against White people. I'm also proud to spit on Kelly's military background given he has no respect for the Bill of Rights either.

Remember, the Republican Party's father figure was a corporate scumbag lawyer that suspended habeas corpus over an unpopular and unnecessary war and 150 years later gave us the misnamed PATRIOT act and the TSA. But hey, you sheeple keep voting harder.

matism said...

Actually, when BOTH sides get together to pass stupid laws, we are able to recognize them as the Uniparty.

Jews own the Democrat party. Democrats merely dance to the tune of their owners.

Charles Koch and the US Chamber of Commerce own the Republican party. Republicans merely dance to the tune of THEIR owners. Which is why they are also known as "filthy Koch-sucking Rove Republican swill."

The Lab Manager said...

(((They))) own both parties. The rest is theatre. Nothing disgust me more than any elected official spouting stupidity like 'standing with Israel.'

Goober said...

As far as I know, TJIC was never charged with an actual crime. The entire situation was just so odd.

Like, seriously, if he did something illegal, then charge him. If he didn't, then at that point, how does seizing his property suddenly fall under "due process"?

I know TJIC fell off the internet radar shortly thereafter, so I have no idea if he ever prevailed, or what it actually took for him to actually prevail, but I have my fears that the court costs would have been so ruinous that he just gave up and they still probably have his property to this day.

I think that this is my biggest issue with Red Flag laws. They will be abused, terribly. You have a neighbor mad at you over a property line dispute? They can call in and have police kick in your door and take your shit. No legal penalty for the neighbor at all. It's a perfect opportunity to rampant abuse, and you can't tell me that there won't be jurisdictions that see that as a feature and not a bug. All the neighbor has to do is state that because you had harsh words with them, andthey know you have guns, that they were scared for their life and didn't know what you'd do, even if you had no intention of ever doing anything but calling them a dickhead. It's impossible to defend yourself from allegations of "I was scared for what he'd do". Have your lawyer give the "nuh-uhh!" argument? How do you disprove something like that? There is no affirmative defense to "I was scared". Maybe they really were. And that, my friends, is all that is necessary for your Constitutional protections to get shredded, just like TJIC's were.

I said at the time, and will continue to say, that what TJIC said was pretty fucked up. But "hey, that's fucked up and you shouldn't say that" is an entirely different thing than "hey, you said that and so now all of your Constitutional rights are belong to us".

Aesop said...

Put the red in "Red flag": shoot any m*****f*****s who come knocking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTcBgs2huRo

They'll lose enforcement interest in about 0.2 seconds after the first two or three times it happens.

Douchebadges can't collect those pensions from the graveyard, can they?