Vice President Kamala Harris visited Florida on Saturday, offering “training and training to individuals responsible for enforcing laws to keep guns out of the hands of themselves and those who pose a threat to them.” The plan is to promote the Biden administration’s efforts to provide “technical assistance.” Other people. ”
The new plan drew immediate backlash from some Republicans, who called the effort a “massive red flag operation.”
According to a report on Saturday, the National Emergency Risk Protection Order (ERPO) Resource Center Department of Justice Press Office releasespecifically provides assistance to law enforcement officers, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim and social service providers, community organizations, and behavioral health professionals.
“ERPO laws, modeled after domestic violence protection orders, allow law enforcement, (in most states) family members, (in some states) medical professionals, and other parties to “Creates a civil process that allows a person to petition a court for a temporary ban, prohibiting the purchase and possession of a firearm from harming oneself or others during the period of the order,” the Department of Justice noted. .
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President Biden listens to Vice President Kamala Harris during an event in the East Room of the White House on February 23, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
During a visit to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where 17 people were killed in a mass shooting in February 2018, Harris introduced the initiative, calling for “each state to pass a red flag law” and changing current laws. He is expected to call for federal funding to be used for enforcement. According to the White House.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the initiative will provide a “valuable resource” to those working to keep firearms out of the hands of people deemed a threat to themselves or others. .
“The launch of the National Emergency Risk Protection Order Resource Center will provide partners across the country with a valuable resource to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others,” said Garland. It will happen,” he said. “The creation of the Center is the latest example of the Department of Justice’s commitment to leveraging all the tools provided by the landmark bipartisan Safe Communities Act to protect communities from gun violence. ”
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the initiative will provide a “valuable resource” to those working to keep firearms out of the hands of people deemed a threat to themselves or others. . (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The Department of Justice, through its Resource Center and its website, states that “states, local governments, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service providers, behavioral health and other social service providers should “It will give them direct access to important information.” It will increase our ability to reduce gun homicides and suicides. ”
“The website will be maintained and updated to include newly developed resources for the sector created through the centre. [the Bureau of Justice Assistance]“This website also provides a platform for the Center to highlight new and promising practices in successful ERPO implementation and connect states and localities with innovative strategies to reduce gun violence and save lives.” said the Department of Justice.
The creation of the resource operation quickly drew the ire of some House Republicans, who labeled it a “federal red flag center” that the Justice Department would use to “violate” Americans’ Second Amendment rights. denounced.
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Rep. Thomas Massey, Republican of Kentucky, wrote in a post on “It was done,” he wrote.
Massey’s sentiments were echoed by Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in a social media post about how the initiative could be used to target specific Americans. expressed concern about this.
“Merrick Garland just announced a massive Red Flag operation being carried out by the Department of Justice using every spying tool the U.S. government has in its arsenal in violation of the Second Amendment!! Done right after Johnson fully funded Biden’s weaponized Justice Department!” Greene wrote about X.
Greene’s comments on the effort come a day after she filed a motion to remove Johnson from office and pass a $1.2 trillion federal funding bill to avert a partial government shutdown. He accused him of “betraying” the “trust” of the House Republican Conference.
Since President Biden took office in 2021, the Biden administration has steadfastly carried out its mission to implement various gun control measures.
Biden criticized the National Rifle Association in his State of the Union address earlier this month and called for tough gun control measures, including a ban on so-called assault weapons.
The Justice Department’s efforts quickly drew the ire of some House Republicans, including Republicans Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene, who denounced the effort as “the heart of a federal red flag.” . (Getty Images)
“I’m proud that we beat the NRA when I signed.” [the] Thanks to this Congress, we have enacted some of the most important gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years. Now we must defeat the NRA once again. I am calling for a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines. Pass universal background checks. ” Biden said at the time..
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“None of this, none of this, I’ve been teaching the Second Amendment for 12 years. None of this violates the Second Amendment, none of this denigrates responsible gun owners. No,” he continued.
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the ERPO effort.
Fox News’ Emma Colton and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
