A California woman was placed on a “red flag” list, her home was raided and all firearms were confiscated from her family members, because of an error on a medical form.
Lynette Phillips tells Reason TV her nightmare started when she voluntarily went to a local hospital because she was “crying a lot.”
She was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, a common ailment experienced by tens of millions of Americans, which does not lead to violent behavior.
But nurse accidentally recorded Lynette’s visit as an “involuntary commitment.” Doctors quickly realized the error and allowed Lynette to go home.
That’s where the problems started. Despite the fact the “involuntary commitment” note was a mistake that was quickly corrected, under California’s “California’s Armed Prohibited Persons System” it still disqualifies her from possessing or being around firearms.
Even a letter from a psychiatrist noting she is not a threat and has never been involuntarily committed can get her off the list.
Many psychiatrists oppose “red flag” laws, noting that anxiety and depression do not lead to violence.
Law enforcement responded by visiting her home to confiscate her two guns, as well as her husband’s gun — even though he’s not on the list.
“Nine California Department of Justice officers showed up at the couple’s house, without any warrant, and took every gun in the house, including the gun that she had bought her husband for Christmas,” Reason magazine reports.
Under legislation sponsored by Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, these “red flag” gun confiscation laws would be expanded nationwide. President Trump backs the plan, saying he believes government should “Take the gun first, go through due process second.”
But as we’re seeing in many cases, like Lynette’s, they never get around to the due process part.
