Debate continues over red flag laws in Arkansas

Senator Leding doesn’t really get why his bill failed as he believes his fellow legislators just didn’t understand it. That’s a common delusion of those on the left. They believe the only reason someone could disagree with them on anything is a lack of understanding.  I think the committee members who killed in dead understood it just fine.

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Could a red flag law come to Arkansas? They’re designed to reduce gun violence but at the cost of some individual rights.

In the last legislative session, some lawmakers tried but failed to pass similar legislation here. This proposal would have given law enforcement the ability to request an individual’s gun rights be temporarily restricted based on mental health concerns.

While one legislator touted this could save countless lives, the opposition said it would infringe upon an Arkansans’ gun rights.

A few Arkansas legislators had high hopes of passing some type of red flag law in the state following the mass shootings that have rocked the nation.

Senator Greg Leding, the bill’s sponsor, said in an interview that there were enough misconceptions that led to its failure.

“There were a lot of questions about how these laws work, they can be very effective but they do need to be put together in a proper way so it can protect individuals and the public and I think it was just a matter of having not had sufficient time to really sit down with lawmakers and address all of their concerns.”

While he began working on the proposal a year prior to the 2019 legislative session, it still wasn’t enough time to convince his Republican counterparts who believe red flag laws violate peoples’ rights.

“There are some lawmakers who simply won’t come aboard for whatever reasons, but I do think there are enough who once they understand how these laws work and they’re confident that the law is constructed in such a way that it protects everybody that we will get the support necessary,” Leding said.