President Biden’s Department of Justice announced the launch of the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center on Saturday, catching congressional Republicans off guard.
Attorney General Merrick Garland touted the new resource center as a tool to “keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others.” However, Republicans quickly criticized the move as an attack on Second Amendment rights.
The center, which includes a website with state-by-state guides to red flag laws, aims to provide assistance and training to law enforcement officials, prosecutors, judges, and other professionals involved in implementing extreme risk protection orders. These orders, also known as “red flag” laws, allow authorities to confiscate firearms from individuals who are deemed a risk to themselves or others.
Justice Department Launches the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center
🔗: https://t.co/xH1deJu4SB pic.twitter.com/zUj0woxwrf
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) March 23, 2024
But some Republicans were not pleased with the DOJ’s announcement. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) took to social media to express his dismay, writing, “What the hell is this evil? A Federal Red Flag center; We did not authorize this. Announced, of course, just hours after the omnibus passes.”
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) also questioned the news, stating, “Oh, really?” in response to the DOJ’s announcement.
Even Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) wrote “Nope” on the DOJ’s post.
Conservative Second Amendment advocate Dana Loesch called the resource center “an attack on due process” and criticized its failure to address the issue of illegal firearms and those in the hands of individuals such as cartel members.
“This won’t apply to Hunter Biden, illegal aliens, or cartel members that Dems fight to arm. This is an attack on due process and ignores existing law that provides a way to adjudicate someone ineligible,” Loesch wrote. “All previous tragedies were preventable without removal of due process.”
President Biden has long been a proponent of stricter gun control measures, and this latest move by the DOJ is just another step in his agenda. With the launch of the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center, it’s become clear that Biden will stop at nothing to implement more gun control on a national level.
Republicans are standing firm against these measures, with Rep. Massie declaring that the new resource center “is an attack on due process and ignores existing law that provides a way to adjudicate someone ineligible.” They argue that all previous tragedies could have been prevented without sacrificing due process.
As the Biden administration continues to push for more gun control, it’s clear that the fight over Second Amendment rights is far from over. Only time will tell how this new resource center will impact the debate and the rights of law-abiding gun owners.
