Protective Orders

Gun confiscation due to dangerousness must respect due process and principles of liberty.

2004 study by the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education about school shootings indicates that 81% of the killers studied gave indication of their intent to at least one person and 59% signaled their intent to more than one. It would seem, then, that GVROs or ERPOs could prevent a large percentage of the recent mass murders.

When the interests of an individual and the rights of the collective come into conflict, the interests of the individual must take priority. This does not mean that society should let obvious risks have full access to firearms.

These laws cannot violate the principles of liberty and establish a dangerous “guilty until proven innocent” standard. They must respect the rights to equal treatment and against unreasonable search and seizure (4th amendment), the rights of the accused (6th), and the right to due process (5th and 14th). There must be substantial consequences for false accusations.

 

Download the detailed DRGO Position Statement on “DRGO on Firearm Confiscation due to Dangerousness” Research here