Letter to the editor: Confiscating guns

On Oct. 26, Gov. Tom Wolf called on the state Legislature to pass more gun control laws. One of the proposals is so-called extreme risk protection orders. These are nothing more than gun confiscation orders.

Using a red flag law, the police or an “angry ex” can petition a judge, requesting that you be stripped of your constitutional rights. And your accuser will be the only one in the room in an “ex parte” hearing.

They don’t have to demonstrate that you have committed a crime. They don’t have to demonstrate that there is any chance that you will ever commit a crime. They only need to show that you are subjectively “dangerous” to someone at the low “preponderance of the evidence” standard. Then your guns are taken away with no due process. Sure, you might get a hearing in 10 days where you can spend $10,000 on attorney’s fees to get your rights back.

Red flag gun confiscation orders are also dangerous to police and citizens. Check out the case of 61-year-old Gary Willis of Ferndale, Md., who was killed in 2018 by police serving a “red flag” order at 5:17 a.m.

I saw the movie “Minority Report,” and America cannot go down that path.

Michael Diehl

McKeesport