first person charged under new Fla red flag law found guilty.

[powderman]

https://www.foxnews.com/us/first-person-charged-under-florida-red-flag-law-found-guilty


First person charged under Florida 'red flag' law found guilty


By Robert Gearty | Fox News




Fox News Flash top headlines for Dec. 8
Video
The first person to have his guns confiscated under Florida’s 2018 “red flag” law has been found guilty over his refusal to voluntarily surrender the weapons.


Jerron Smith, 33, now faces up to five years in prison after a jury in Broward County rejected his argument that he did not fully understand the new law. The jury returned the verdict Friday after a short trial.


Smith, of Deerfield Beach, was the subject of a risk protection order soon after the law was enacted in response to the Parkland high school mass shooting in February 2018.


Jerron Smih, 31, of Deerfield Beach, Fla., had his AR-15 semiautomatic weapon confiscated, becoming the first person to have his guns seized under Florida's 2018 "red flag" law.. (Broward County Sheriff's Office)

NEW FLORIDA GUN LAW LEADS TO FIRST SEIZURE: AR-15 FROM ARMY VET CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER



Smith owned an AR-15 rifle and a .22-caliber rifle which Broward deputies seized after his arrest in March 2018 on charges of firing six shots at a vehicle being driven by his best friend, according to reports.

Smith is facing trial on an attempted murder charge in connection with that incident. He was accused of firing at his friend with a Glock handgun that deputies also took, according to reports.

Florida’s "red flag" law allows authorities to obtain a court order to confiscate weapons from people who pose a danger to themselves and others. Florida is one of 15 states with such laws.

COLORADO ENACTS 'RED FLAG' LAW TO SEIZE GUNS FROM THOSE DEEMED DANGEROUS, PROMPTING BACKLASH

At the time Smith's guns were seized, a local TV station, citing a neighbor, reported that Smith was an Army veteran.

“He spent a lot of money for his weaponry,” the neighbor, Lorenzo Brown, told WPLG-TV. “It’s crazy. You just got to live around here to know what’s going on.”

A sentencing date has not been set.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that the jury returned a verdict after less than an hour of deliberations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[Matt]

So what do y'all think of the red flag laws?

[goodshot]

   Not much friend, abuse of the law will probably occur. Nor sure of everything that went into this case.

[Matt]

   Not much friend, abuse of the law will probably occur. Nor sure of everything that went into this case.

agreed....

[powderman]

I can even see  BGS using this crap to disarm families they want to rob, rape, or kill. If I wanted to rob a rich man, I'd want him disarmed first.  >:(Bad law. CHARLIE. 

[northwoodneil]

My biggest beef with these laws is the accuser has no skin in the game. They report you, take your firearms, then it's up to you to prove your just a law abiding citizen with a passion for guns. Legal fees, time off work, and the person who did the accusing says oops I guess I was mistaken. Make it a $10,000 fine for filing a false report ( payable to the accused) and I might be alright with these laws. Some people are nuts and shouldn't have guns (or cars or cigarette lighters for that matter) and need reporting but not someone just because he might be a noisy neighbor.

[BUGEYE]

It seems that the person in the story attempted to murder another person.
I don't see how red flag applies here.

[Matt]

After a little Due Diligence here is what I found.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Black Army Vet’s Gun Is First Firearm Confiscated Under New Florida Gun Control Law
By Tanasia Kenney -April 11, 2018

Florida’s newly enacted gun control law led to the seizure of a Black Army veteran’s AR-15 rifle on Thursday, the first to be confiscated under the state’s new risk protection statute.

Jerron Smith, 31, of Deerfield Park is the first person to be arrested for violating the new law since it went into effect on March 9, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said Monday. The legislation came amid nationwide calls for tougher gun laws in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Fla.

A sheriff’s office spokeswoman said authorities arrived at Smith’s home on Thursday where they seized his AR-15, along with a bump stock, hundreds of rounds of ammo and multiple other weapon-related items. Deputies were there to serve the order for Smith to turn over his weapons, but the Florida man declined and refused to allow authorities into his home.

Police were eventually able to seize the weapons and ammunition after they obtained a search warrant, local station ABC 10 reported.

“They just raided his house, found all of his weapons, or whatever, (and) they just took it,” Smith’s neighbor Lorenzo Brown told the news station. “… He spent a lot of money for his weaponry.”

“It’s crazy,” Brown added. “You just got to live around here to know what’s going on.”

As part of the state’s new gun regulations, law enforcement officials can seek what’s called a “risk protection order” from a judge to confiscate weapons from people who are mentally ill or pose a danger to themselves or others.

In Smith’s case, an RPO was issued after he was arrested on March 29 on an attempted murder charge. Police said he allegedly fired six shots into the back of a car driven by his best friend, 34-year-old Jackon Levon. Levon, who had come to return Smith’s cell phone, was only injured by shattered glass.

This isn’t Smith’s first brush with the law, however. In February, the Army veteran was arrested after pointing a gun at a woman and threatening to shoot her, according to the sheriff’s office. He then barricaded himself inside a home when cops arrived. Luckily, the state decided not to pursue charges against Smith in that case.

Authorities said Smith was also arrested in May 2016 on an aggravated assault charge after he pulled a knife on someone and threatened them with it.

“This newly signed law is clearly proving its worth to law enforcement and the public,” Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said in a statement. “We are thankful to have this valuable tool at our disposal to help keep deadly weapons out of the hands of individuals who demonstrate an obvious threat to themselves or others.”

It will be interesting to see how this law is executed over the next few months and years. The FBI was warned about the Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz numerous times and no real action was taken. He went on to kill 17 people at his high school.

Smith is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond, ABC 10 reported.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It really seems to me that he should have already been in jail, or at the very least getting checked out and treated for PTSD.

But it really seems that our vet's are just swept under a rug and over looked. I am guessing they saw an opportunity to use the red flag law and did, also it is funny how they still had to get a warrant.

[BUGEYE]

Before the red flag law, if someone attempted murder, how was the gun situation handled??
It seems to me that the man should have been arrested after threatening a woman with a gun, or threatening a man with a knife.   And if convicted of either, felonies?  I think his guns could have been taken at that time.

So, after being charged with attempted murder, he should have been tried, and "if convicted," should have his guns taken.
I'm against red flag laws.

[JeffG]

deputies seized after his arrest in March 2018 on charges of firing six shots at a vehicle being driven by his best friend,

I am not a fan of ill conceived Red Flag laws, but you really can't get too much more clear cut than that.... You can't play into the confiscators hands and then claim foul.

[powderman]

Really nothing new here. Likely 20+ years ago the fbi visited my cousins house and searched his house and gun safe looking for machine guns. Found nothing, apologized, and left.
His daughter had broken up with a real lowdown punk. He turned it in for spite.
The black man in question likely should have disarmed well before now. CHARLIE.