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U.S. House Passes Bill Allowing Judges to Seize Firearms From Individuals Deemed Dangerous
On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation allowing the country’s judges to confiscate firearms from an individual who is deemed an imminent danger to themselves or to others.
The House passed The Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act with a 224-202 vote. During the vote, five Republican lawmakers broke ranks and voted in favor of the said bill. This legislation would also allow justices to stop a person from buying firearms under the same circumstances.
U.S. House PASSES bill approving Federal "Red Flag" Gun Law, 224,204.
Goes now to the U.S. Senate. pic.twitter.com/6MXK9BK7jx
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 9, 2022
Additionally, the bill lets family members and police officers request for judges to impose restrictions as long as they can provide proof of danger. It also allows Judges to enforce a 14-day or a 180-day ban for an individual to possess or purchase firearms.
The bill has yet to pass the Senate.
The five Republican House members who decided to vote for the bill include Reps. Fred Upton (Mich.), Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Bryan Fitzpatrick (Pa.), and Chris Jacobs (N.Y.).
Control Over Firearms Remains a Hot Topic For Debate in Congress Following Uvalde Shooting
There have been some fierce debates in Congress between Republicans and Democrats regarding the prevention of mass shootings just a few weeks since the incident in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 kids and 2 teachers.
Members of the GOP have pushed back on the Democratic Party’s calls for sweeping gun control regulations, including strict rules and mass confiscations. It is unlikely for the Democrats to move forward with such measures, however, as they will likely be deadlocked when reaching Senate.
Last week, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), who is a leading voice when it comes to gun control legislation, has urged Pres. Joe Biden to stay out of negotiations. He said that they need “to do this ourselves.”
Murphy then suggested that Democrats may be willing to compromise if it would lead to Republicans being willing to pass significant legislation.
“We're not going to put a piece of legislation on the table that will ban assault weapons or pass comprehensive background checks,” Murphy said in an interview with CNN. “Right now, people in this country want us to make progress, they just don't want the status quo to continue for another 30 years,” he added.
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