Tennessee U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) said the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) new National Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) Resource Center in an “unauthorized attack” on the Second Amendment.
ERPO laws, commonly referred to as Red Flag laws, allow courts to prevent people who are deemed a danger to themselves or to others from having access to firearms.
The timing of this is intentional. This is an UNAUTHORIZED attack on our 2nd Amendment. https://t.co/uNwQCbb47s
— Tim Burchett (@timburchett) March 23, 2024
“The timing of this is intentional. This is an UNAUTHORIZED attack on our 2nd Amendment,” Burchett wrote in an X post in response to the DOJ’s announcement post of the program.
The new program, according to the DOJ, will “provide training and technical assistance to law enforcement officials, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service and social service providers, community organizations, and behavioral health professionals responsible for implementing laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of people who pose a threat to themselves or others.”
“Successful and effective ERPO implementation requires a comprehensive and holistic approach that incorporates a wide range of stakeholders. The Center is designed to provide resources consistent with that need,” the DOJ said in a press release.
The program was launched on Saturday after being created by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, in partnership with the DOJ and Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), last year.
Attorney General Merrick Garland championed the program, saying it will “protect communities from gun violence” by keeping firearms “out of the hands of individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others.”
Kentucky U.S. Representative Thomas Massie noted how the program was launched hours after the Senate passed the $2.1 trillion minibus spending bill.
“What the hell is this evil? A Federal Red Flag center; We did not authorize this. Announced, of course, just hours after the omnibus passes,” Massie wrote on X.
Across the nation, a total of 21 states and the District of Columbia have enacted ERPO laws, according to the DOJ.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
