by Whitney Tipton
GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said Monday he plans to introduce a bipartisan “red flag” gun confiscation bill that will have President Donald Trump’s support.
Graham announced he had reached a deal with Democratic Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal to create a federal grant program to help states establish “red flag” laws, or laws that facilitate gun confiscation when a threat is detected, according to a statement.
“I have reached an agreement with Senator Blumenthal to create a federal grant program to assist and encourage states to adopt ‘Red Flag’ Protection Order laws to timely intervene in situations where there is an imminent threat of violence,” the South Carolina senator said.
Read more on Red Flag / Extreme Risk Protection Orders.https://t.co/vkV5kRcUQv
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) August 4, 2019
Graham, the Senate Judiciary chairman, also indicated that his legislation has Trump’s support. “I spoke with the President this morning about this proposal and he seems very supportive,” he said.
Graham’s announcement came shortly after Trump addressed the nation regarding the shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, this weekend that killed more than 30.
“Red flag” laws, also known as gun confiscation orders, are designed to enable people to report the authorities when someone appears to be a threat, so that their firearms can be confiscated for a term.
No details of Graham’s planned legislation were released. Graham’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Gun rights groups say red flag laws lead to confiscation without due process.
“It is frustrating to see President Donald Trump’s continued support for so-called Red Flag laws. These Red Flag laws, properly known as Gun Confiscation Orders, are incompatible with actual due process and allow for the confiscation of firearms from innocent Americans,” Erich Pratt, Gun Owners of America vice president, told the DCNF.
Graham promises to introduce the legislation shortly, adding that he hopes “that my Republican and Democratic colleagues will join us to finally move forward in the effort to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.”
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Whitney Tipton is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
