PolitiFact Mocked for Downplaying Red Flag Laws

The use of red flag laws when it comes to firearms has been brought back to the forefront of the national conversation in the aftermath of the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas. Both shooters had histories of law enforcement being known to them for disturbing or criminal acts, though the Buffalo shooter was able to avoid New York red flag laws. 

Criticisms of such laws is that it is ripe for abuse since due process goes to the wayside and language of laws can often be too broad. PolitiFact attempted to debunk gun owners concerns about red flag laws by claiming it is “misinformation” to say the laws circumvent due process.

“Another false claim is that the laws allow people with a grudge, such as an ex-spouse, to take guns away,” the outlet added.

Beware of misinformation about red flag laws, including critics who say they lack due process, which is not accurate. Another false claim is that the laws allow people with a grudge, such as an ex-spouse, to take guns away. https://t.co/6hY8VcICNR

— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) June 14, 2022

It did not take long for the useless fact checking organization to be called out for spreading misinformation about red flag laws. There was the case of Susan Homles, who was recently convicted of perjury and attempting to influence a public servant by filing a false red flag complaint against a Colorado State University police officer, according to CBS Denver. The officer shot and killed Homles’ son when he was going to attempt to kill his brother and sister-in-law on CSU’s campus. On the petition, Homles checked a box saying she is a family member or household member of the officer.

Even the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island has voiced concern about the state’s red flag law when it come to a person’s due process. 

Anyone who argues that red flag doesn’t remove due process doesn’t understand:

A) what due process is
B) what red flag law is
C) the basics about the Constitution.

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) June 14, 2022

Fact: A third of red flag orders are wrongly issued https://t.co/ioCW6J8MhL

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) June 14, 2022

Red flag laws in states like California allow both these things. https://t.co/2FDTzXWvqB

— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) June 14, 2022

Good rule of thumb: If @PolitiFact says it, believe the opposite.

There’s no due process with “red flag” laws, hence their popularity with the left. https://t.co/pFyEjECBQS

— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) June 14, 2022

Really? pic.twitter.com/z23bJ1gT9F

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) June 14, 2022

In an era when the FBI labels parents protesting at schooling boards meetings as ‘domestic terrorists’, it seems incredibly naive to think that red flag laws won’t be used to disarm political enemies.

— Geoffrey Miller (@primalpoly) June 14, 2022