When voters are informed about the operation of red flag legislation, support for them shifts to opposition: study

According to a recent study, Americans’ attitudes toward red flag laws, in which citizens’ firearms are taken away by judges who determine they pose a threat to themselves or others, change dramatically from support to opposition when more information about the procedure for taking away firearms legally is given.

The Crime Prevention Research Center’s recently released study survey of 1,000 likely voters found that when informed that red flag laws’ “primary purpose is to allow judges to take away a person’s gun based on a single complaint when there is a concern that that individual will commit suicide,” 58% of respondents agreed.

When respondents are informed that mental health professionals are not engaged in the process and that there are no hearings where a defendant may make their case to a court before having their gun rights taken away, the 58% support falls to 30% with 47% opposing.

According to data, Democrats, the rich, members of the Black and Hispanic populations, and those between the ages of 18 and 29 were those who supported red flag laws the most.

Experts claim that the proposed gun control measures lack empirical evidence that they reduce crime.

A photo of various handguns on display.

According to John Lott, president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, “you continuously hear in the media and in the press that these polls show overwhelming support for various different sorts of gun control.” I believe that many of the issues are simply a result of the questions’ wording.

The survey questions are “very prejudiced in how they’re written up,” continued Lott, adding that there is “a lot of misunderstanding about guns.”

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When respondents were informed that most red flag cases lack due process, strong support for red flag laws decreased from 34% to 14% and strong opposition increased from 18% to 29%, according to a survey by

Lott.

This, according to Lott, is in line with research from he conducted earlier this year that found those who are least knowledgeable about firearms and gun laws are most inclined to support strict gun control.

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A protester holds signs calling for an end to gun violence in front of the Supreme Court on June 8, 2022, in Washington, DC.

According to Lott, who spoke to Fox News Digital, “everyone wants to attempt to protect someone who’s a danger to themselves or anybody else.” But I wasn’t certain that everyone was aware of how red flag rules operate.

Red flag regulations, which can be triggered based on a single allegation, “do not have a hearing before the firearms are taken away,” Lott said, adding that “no mental health care specialists” are involved in the red flag procedure.