Posted on 03/06/2018 3:44:18 PM PST by Politically Correct
Seattle police first in state to seize gun under mental health law
by Joel MorenoSaturday, March 3rd 2018
SEATTLE – The city’s police department became the first law enforcement agency in the state to force the surrender of a firearm under a new law known as an “extreme risk protection order.”
The incident involves a man who lives in Belltown, who neighbors said had been intimidating people for the past year - even staring-down customers through store-front windows with a gun holstered at his side. Mental illness is suspected, but that new law allowed police to legally disarm him.
“He was roaming the hallways with a .25 caliber automatic,” said Tony Montana, who knows the man from his apartment complex. “And it created a lot of fear obviously because I didn't know if he was coming after me or gonna just start shooting the place up."
The man, who we are not naming, is also well known to the bars and restaurants below his unit along Second Ave. The volume of complaints convinced Seattle police to seek an extreme risk protection order - or “erpo” – which allows law enforcement to legally remove guns from people deemed a danger to themselves or others. In this case, the man refused to comply. Because of the new law, police were then able to return with a warrant and force the man to surrender the firearm.
“I’m very supportive of this law,” Montana said. “This is a perfect case in point where it's had some efficacy. It was an immediate crisis and law enforcement was able to remove his firearms, so it very well could have saved lives."
A few dozen erpos have been served and executed around the state, but Seattle police said they are the only agency so far to seize a gun because the owner refused to hand it over.
Law enforcement professionals said these specialized protection orders could be a common sense strategy to try and prevent mass shootings - such as what happened in Parkland, Florida.
“There's certainly a big concern of the connection between mental health and people exhibiting violent behavior and whether or not they should have access to firearms. The ‘erpos’ give us that tool now as an option,” said Sgt. Eric Pisconski, who leads the crisis response unit for the Seattle Police Department.
The confiscations only last a year, although they can be renewed.
This event has been reported in several places but I didn't find this under this title.
A .25 caliber automatic? Me thinks Mr. Montana is fireatm illiterate.
People, including the NRA, have been screaming “Mental Health!” for awhile now. Well, here it is.
He looked at me funny - take his gun.
Really? That’s all it takes to lose your rights now?
Semiautomatics are often referred to as automatics.
Let's not be too OCD about it.
After 2016, tons of snowflakes appeared so that’s accurate.
Unfortunately the media is not smart enough to know the difference, it’ll be an assault pistol before too long.
With an attached chainsaw bayonet";^)
Dubious reasons for me without additional detail.
So he had a gun and he wore it in plain sight and it made people nervous. People thought he looked at them funny. How is that a danger to himself or others.
Did he ever threaten anyone. Does he have an explosive temper? Is he on Meds for mental health particularly SSRI that have side effects of violent thoughts?
People will rue the day when they hopped on the mental health bandwagon. Remember that the Soviet Union regularly locked up political dissidents for Mental Health reasons.
So if you don’t toe the line, these Marxists that have infiltrated everything, are going to declare you crazy. In fact, a sleezy TV personality already more or less called Pence crazy because he prays to God.
Assault has always been against the law.
“Since when does carrying a holstered sidearm and staring at people constitute grounds for forced disarmament? “
Correct.
The entire state of Washington is an open carry state, and that open carry allows for LOADED weapons.
Without a verbal threat, or motion threat (putting his hand on the firearm like he’s going to pull it) the man was perfectly within his legal rights and there are no laws in the state preventing his actions as described.
And WA is also a “preemption” state, where state law applies to every municipality. The municipality cannot enact stricter laws than the state.
This was a criminal act by SPD and the judge who issued the warrant.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/handgun-seized-in-belltown-under-extreme-risk-protection-order/
Here's a link to a bit more detail. I won't even excerpt as it's the Seattle Times.
Well, he does live in loony Seattle.
So by this precedent, if a cop with a gun looks at me funny or stares at somebody he should have his firearm taken away. Right?
All of those, plus expressing urges to kill or commit suicide, are valid reasons for extreme observation.
Gun consfiscation is only marginally effective with someone who might simply go on to steal a gun, or use some other method to kill people.
And what’s to stop him from buying another gun?
: )
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