“Red Flag Law” lets authorities seize weapons from potentially dangerous individuals

Orlando Police recently took a handgun away from a UCF student under the new “Red Flag Law.” And the Broward Sheriff’s Office used the same law on Zachary Cruz—the brother of accused Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz.

A similar bill was just introduced on the federal level Thursday, all part of the push to keep schools safer following the Parkland shooting.

Red flag warning signs were seen in Parkland shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz—but were never acted upon.

The “Red Flag Law” is something authorities could have used to stop him.

“Most people would say if this was done before the Parkland incident then we’d have a lot of young children still alive today,” said attorney Michael Raheb.

Raheb thinks that red flag warning signs are likely what motivated this specific provision, giving law enforcement the option to seize weapons from potentially dangerous men or women before they commit a crime.

“If they feel concerned about someone being a danger to themselves or others, they now have a tool they can presumably take from their bag on this particular case and we should remove this weapon,” Raheb said.

If officers receive enough information to determine a threat or person making dangerous claims is credible, they can get a court order to remove any weapons. They’ll still have to go through the court system, but it takes away the weapon immediately, before things escalate.

“I think the law is very appropriate. Any law is a step in the right direction for controlling all the misuse of guns and the killings that are going on,” Raheb said.

On Thursday, Sen. Rubio and Sen. Nelson introduced the Red Flag Bill in hopes of getting the same provision passed in the U.S.