Family members ought to be given the lawful authority to confiscate guns from those they deem “unstable” and “violent, Sen. Barbara Boxer said, while pushing her new “Pause for Safety Act” bill that comes in response to the Isla Vista shootings and stabbings.
“We failed our children,” she said, The Hill reported. “Call it what you want, but we are failing our children because we have a basic task to keep them safe. We have a function here not to allow someone who is unstable or violent to get a weapon.”
Federal law currently prevents those with histories of mental illness who have been involuntarily institutionalized or ruled by a judge as incompetent from obtaining weapons.
Ms. Boxer wants to tweak the law to allow family members the lawful power to take guns away from those they see as unfit — saying such a measure would have gone far toward preventing Elliot Rodger, 22, from shooting and stabbing to death seven, including himself.
Specifically, her bill would give families the right to petition the court for a warrant that would prevent that member from purchasing a gun, as well as open the door to confiscation of any guns that member currently owns, The Hill reported. The bill would also allow police to confiscate guns from those the court then rules as a threat.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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