“Red flags missed” was the headline of a recent Associated Press story about the July 4 parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois.
The purpose of a flag being red is that it’s supposed to stand out and be easy to see.
However, in the aftermath of another public mass shooting, we often realize after the fact how colorblind we are to the signs.
The alleged shooter, Robert Crimo III, had contact with police twice in 2019 – once after he tried to commit suicide and a second time after he allegedly threatened to “kill everyone” in his family.
Authorities did seize 16 knives, a sword and a dagger from Crimo’s home.
But that’s as far as it went.
Illinois, like Indiana, has a “red flag law,” a firearms provision that allows police or prosecutors to seek a court order to confiscate weaponry from a person who presents a reasonable risk of using their firearms to perpetrate violence on themselves or others. Such an action can also raise a flag in background check systems that can prevent, or at least slow down, an attempt by that person to purchase firearms from a dealer at a later time.
But in Crimo’s case, no one officially raised and waved the flag.
Crimo went and legally purchase five firearms.
Then he allegedly used one of those semi-automatic rifles to open fire from a rooftop overlooking the Independence Day parade, spraying around 80 rounds into the crowd, killing seven, wounding dozens others and terrifying hundreds.
The incident once again shows how incredibly porous America’s background check system is – some might think upfront that someone who had police called for a suicide response is a person we might not want to sell a gun to – but it also shows the main weakness of red flag laws, being that, if no one raises the flag, they don’t do anything.
That’s not uncommon. Indiana has had its red flag law for years, but in our past reporting, local judges have only had a handful of those matters come before their benches.
In the wake of another “Hindsight is 20/20” moment, Highland Park should be a rallying event to normalize more frequent utilization of red flag laws.
Families should more often reach out to authorities if/when they see someone in their household exhibiting dangerous signs. Police should more often take the necessary steps to lodge a red flag request in cases when they cross paths with someone who is going through a crisis.
Individuals do have due process rights to make their case before a judge to regain possession of their weapons or clear their record. It’s a process that should play out, especially because not doing so can sometimes turn out to be a matter of life and death for that individual or innocents in the community.
Red flags are only effective if they’re used.
So use them.
Doing so might help prevent future tragedy.
THE NEWS-SUN (Kandallville)
