Remembering Sandy Hook and the People Who Won't Stop It From Happening Again
It’s the tenth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. And some lawyer is arguing via an op ed in the Union-Tribune against the local use of Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVRO). He’s saying the Red Flag Law passed in 2014 are on a par with Jim Crow laws and acts of bigotry against LGBTQ people in big cities like New York and San Francisco.
This is a classic example of the self-victimization manifested by political extremists throughout history. Much of this pity party for Second Amendment snowflakes is centered around the argument that in many cases GVROs are unnecessary because other law breaking has occurred.
I say “extremists” in this case because of the claim that there aren’t enough “protections'' for gun owners against any abuse of the use of GVROs. Somehow the logic of opposing oppression of groups of people based on their race or who they choose to love (or who they worship) is being twisted to apply to individuals who’ve put fear in the hearts of the people surrounding them.
Of all the things I see as wrong about San Diego (and our City Attorney) taking guns away with a judicial review is one thing we’re doing right. We’re national leaders in this effort, with over 63 instances through August of this year where people who were either a danger to themselves or others have been disarmed.
California’s red flag law may have helped prevent dozens of mass shootings over a three-year period beginning in 2016, according to research published earlier this year..
Unlike other areas of the country, some local law enforcement is on board with GVROs, and citizens are becoming aware that their fears are not ignored for ideological reasons.
Unfortunately, that “some” in local law enforcement does not include the San Diego Sheriff's office.
Recently elected Sheriff Kelly Martinez ran for office this year with support from local gun extremists after declaring that GVROs shouldn’t be part of standard operating procedure.
And despite the SDSO policy urging deputies to consider asking for GVROs in response to domestic disturbances or mental health calls with “involved parties” known to have firearms, only four instances of their use by county law enforcement occurred during the first three quarters of this year.
The Sheriff’s Department has a questionable history when it comes to the question of guns, from high ranking officers selling weapons deemed illegal for the general public to arguments about the definition of “good cause” in applying for concealed carry permits.
Retired Sheriff’s Commander and former candidate Dave Myers also had an op ed in the Union-Tribune. He cited the recent shooting at an LGBTQ+ club in Colorado Springs as an example of what happens when a local sheriff decides that the Second Amendment trumps public safety.
.The alleged killer at Club Q had previously been arrested in Colorado Springs by the local Sheriff’s Department for allegedly threatening relatives with a homemade bomb, multiple weapons and ammunition, according to a 2021 affidavit. A video of his threats was broadcast on Facebook live in 2021. But no formal charges were pursued in the case, which has since been sealed, according to The Gazette in Colorado Springs.
After 35 years in law enforcement, mostly with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, I believe the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department had a public safety obligation after the previous arrest to take all steps necessary to ensure the public’s safety — and it fell short. The department didn’t initiate any provisions within its red-flag gun safety laws because the sheriff opposed red-flag laws, even saying he was “committed to vigorously challenging” the constitutionality of one. Thus, the suspect in the Club Q case was allowed to retain possession of any previously purchased firearms. In Colorado, whether or not law enforcement initiates gun violence restraining orders seems dependent on which jurisdiction you live in.
The Colorado Springs Police Department is now charged with investigating the killings at Club Q. On Nov. 20, the Colorado Springs police chief said his department had submitted only two of the 348 red flag petitions received by the Colorado courts since the law took effect in January 2020.
Mark Follman, the Mother Jones editor who’s spent the last decade reporting on mass shootings, has written definitively about effective steps that can be taken to reduce the slaughter.
In a timely article, he lays out three strategies:
First, we need to shift away from the heavy overemphasis on active shooter response—lockdown drills and the various “target hardening” measures of physical security—to a greater emphasis on active shooter prevention. This means investing in mental health care and community-based violence prevention, including behavioral threat assessment programs, which can have a broader benefit of helping foster a climate of safety and well-being, from corporate and college campuses to K-12 classrooms. That may now be particularly valuable in an era when a majority of parents nationwide express fear about sending their children off to school.
Additionally, two types of gun regulations hold significant promise for helping reduce mass shootings in America. One is raising the age requirement for gun buyers from 18 to 21. Another is expanding the use of extreme risk protection orders, a policy known as red flag laws, for temporarily disarming individuals deemed through a civil court process to pose a danger to themselves or others.
While there’s lots of lip service given to the need for more and better mental health care, generally speaking those who proffer this step as THE preventative measure have little to interest in funding it.
(Let me interject that while I think the San Diego County Supervisors are taking good steps towards improving care locally, the problem is societal and requires massive changes in how services are rendered. And because health care in the US is seen as a commodity rather than a necessity, the third rail of “profit motive” is a major consideration, any bill in Congress will automatically be defeated and/or neutered by the same people who send thoughts and prayers after every mass shooting.)
If you take a look at the listings of mass shootings involving strangers, the presence of people under 21 is obvious. (See the Mother Jones article cited above for examples) Yet changing the age requirement for gun purchases (generally enforced by the states) is another litmus test presented by gun rights absolutists threatening politicians.
Finally, on the list of things we could do, are Red Flag laws. Nineteen states have passed some version of these laws, yet enforcement is spotty. The people screaming law and order the loudest are all-too-often the people who won’t enforce these laws.
The fact that a local sheriff’s race in San Diego featured an Democratic party endorsed (and winning) candidate unwilling to challenge a small (yes, loud) group of weapons enthusiasts is something worthy of implementing an endorsement standard holding that such views are a deal breaker.
Back to Sandy Hook; a few factoids via Buzzfeed News:
In the decade since, gun violence has become the leading cause of death for American children; more than 25,000 kids — from newborns to 19-year-olds — have been killed. No other industrialized country comes close to the US rate.
Yet little federal or state legislation has been enacted, and in many jurisdictions, 18-year-olds can legally buy an AR-15 — three years before they can lawfully buy a beer. Children continue to be unsafe, even in school.
At least 117 children and teachers in kindergarten through the 12th grade have been killed while going to school, attending class, or walking home since that day in Newtown, according to a BuzzFeed News analysis of data from the K–12 School Shooting Database and gun control advocacy group Everytown. Some of these victims dreamed of becoming veterinarians, marine biologists, artists, or teachers in the same schools where they died.
Gun safety or gun control or gun sanity is an emotional subject, tainted by an armament industry and their agents working full time to distract, misinform, or simply make us afraid from doing anything.
Email me at: WritetoDougPorter@Gmail.com