The national "red flag laws" President Donald Trump called for in the wake of last week's mass shootings would be similar to laws already on the books here in Massachusetts. But the author of the state's protection order law doesn't agree with Trump's priorities when it comes to preventing gun violence.
"We must make sure that those judged to pose a grave risk to public safety do not have access to firearms, and that if they do, those firearms can be taken through rapid due process. That is why I have called for red flag laws, also known as extreme risk protection orders," Trump said Monday, addressing the nation after attacks in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas.
Even though Rep. Marjorie Decker (D-Cambridge) pushed through the state's one-year-old red flag law last year, she doesn't think Trump's endorsement of weapon removal or his conflation of gun background checks with immigration reform gets to the root of gun violence.
"This president has played so many games with people's lives and until he's actually, genuinely committed to enacting and leading on common sense gun ownership laws, that's what the conversation should be about," Decker said.
Red flag laws let courts or local police remove guns from legal owners deemed unsafe and are seen as an effective way to prevent suicide and potentially identify someone preparing to use a gun against other people. When it comes to the wider conversation over gun control, advocates like Decker want tighter gun sales and bans on assault weapons, as well as the authority to remove weapons.
"There are really clear public policies and laws that we can enact that speak to responsible gun ownership and gun safety. And none of those laws in Massachusetts have actually threatened any responsible gun owners' ability to responsibly own a gun," Decker said.
Local police in Massachusetts have had the ability to deny or revoke a gun license since 2014, and associates of gun owners have been able to petition courts to remove weapons since last July. In the year the law has been on the books, there have been 20 extreme risk protective orders issued in Massachusetts.
Decker says laws like the Massachusetts system could be adopted state by state if Congress is unwilling to vote on gun control.
"Legislatures around the country aren't waiting for Congress. But Congress and leaders in Congress, including our President, have the opportunity to save lives. The question is why aren't they?" Decker said.
