Mass Shooter Was Not Thwarted By Red Flag Laws

After a thorough examination of the facts, it has been revealed that the “Fed Ex Shooter” had actually slipped through Indiana’s red flag laws.

The state of Indiana passed extremely restrictive red flag laws back in 2005, these should theoretically put a stop to any mass shooter or individual planning to commit suicide with a firearm. These laws have been routinely criticized by 2A activists and conservatives who fear they may be used as a way to strip individuals of their 2nd Amendment rights.

Plain and simple, these laws allow the authorities to take away the firearms of someone who they perceive to be a danger to themselves or the community without a crime actually having been committed. Hypothetically these firearm seizures should prevent crimes from being committed.

According to the Indy Star, it would appear that the man responsible for the “worst shooting in Indianapolis history” was able to totally bypass this system.

As reported in IndyStar:

Indianapolis police had seized a shotgun from the shooter a year earlier after his mother warned police that he had threatened suicide by cop, but prosecutors did not file a “red flag” case with court. Had they done so, the shooter may have been prevented from purchasing the two AR 15-style rifles he used to carry out the killings at FedEx.

The failure drew criticism from the local police union president to the U.S. Capitol. “In Indianapolis, had it been used, I think it could have saved those eight lives,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, said during a hearing on red flag laws in April.

An IndyStar investigation later found Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears and his deputies failed to file more than 100 red flag cases and allowed others to languish for months or years. The delays exacerbated a dangerous gap in the law that allows people to legally purchase new firearms while their red flag case is pending.