New York Supreme Court Smacks Down Hochul’s Red Flag Law

How many times does the Democrat-dominant New York State legislature have to learn that the 2nd Amendment is larger than them? Apparently, at least once more. Judge Craig Stephen Brown declared New York's Red Flag law unconstitutional since a court cannot determine mental health issues.

Judge Brown was asked to consider the legalities of New York's Red Flag law by attorneys for defendant Corey J Monroe. Monroe was subjected to a Red Flag firearms seizure order after he was alleged to have brandished and pointed a loaded shotgun at his neighbor during a verbal dispute. Monroe denied the allegations and called on the judge to throw out the Red Flag order against him. Brown vacated the Red Flag order against Monroe and ruled the law unconstitutional.

Judge Brown made it clear that civil rights are being violated under New York's current Red Flag Law in the way the law currently allows for the ex parte confiscation of guns without due process. It would appear Albany Democrats were denied their gun-grab dreams yet again.

New York State has just undergone a rash of school swatting calls showing how willing anti-gunners and troublemakers are to use any excuse they can to get gun owners arrested or send police on a wild goose chase. The recent school closings across the state due to false alarm shooting calls are proof. We know people can't be trusted if they can simply accuse a gun owner of being a risk to society, but that may be exactly what gun-grabbing politicians want.

Under Mental Hygiene Law § 9.39, a person's liberty rights cannot be curtailed unless a physician opines that a person is suffering from a condition likely to result in serious harm. That's a roadblock that anti-gun legislatures don't believe they should have to deal with.

Fortunately, Judge Brown saw through the charade and pointed out the fact that New York's Red Flag Law has no provision whatsoever requiring even a single medical or mental health expert opinion prior to the confiscation of lawful citizens' firearms. Yet, the court is required to determine whether the respondent is likely to engage in behavior that would result in serious harm to himself, herself, or others.

At least in the movie Minority Report, the mind of the person who is about to commit a crime could be read. New York Democrats have it set up so they can confiscate your guns based simply on what they think you might do.

Judge Brown used a quote from McDonald v. Chicago when he said, “Second Amendment rights are no less fundamental than…Fourth Amendment rights (the right to liberty), and must be afforded the same level of due process and equal protection.”

“Accordingly, this Court joins the Monroe County Supreme Court in holding that, “under CPLR 63-a, in order to pass constitutional muster, the legislature must provide that a citizen be afforded procedural guarantees such as a physician's determination that a respondent presents a condition ‘likely to result in serious harm,' before a petitioner files for a [temporary extreme risk protection order] or [extreme risk protection order]. Since this standard is required to prevent a respondent from being deprived of fundamental rights under the Mental Hygiene Law, then anything less (as contained in 63-a) deprives a citizen of a fundamental right without due process of law. This Court declares [New York's Extreme Risk Protection Law] to be unconstitutional.”

The New York Supreme Court is the second highest court in the State under the Court of Appeals. Get ready, though, because you can bet Letitia James is getting her paperwork ready for an appeal. New York Democrats don't take no for an answer.

Read this article in its entirety at Ammoland.

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