Joe Doakes from Como Park emails:

Mitch wrote on Shot In The Dark about Rhode Island’s gun control recommendations.

The caption under the photo in the linked article Mitch linked to, shows the governor addressing a crowd just before signing legislation making it easier for police to remove guns from “violence prone individuals.”  This looks like an area ripe for abuse.

Historically, a person convicted of a felony-level act of violence loses the right to a gun.  But this law must go further, else there’s no need for a new law.  Are we extending the sanction to conviction for a misdemeanor-level act of violence?  Pushing?  Shoving?  Disturbing the Peace?

Do we even need a conviction?  How about suspicion of having committed an act of violence?  A dozen Democrats claim Justice Kavanaugh has been “credibly accused” of having committing an act of violence against Dr. Ford decades ago.  Is that enough to deprive him of his guns?

Do we need a suspicion that a person has actually committed an act of violence?  What if he’s only threatened an act of violence (“One of these days, Alice, bang, zoom, straight to the moon!”).  What if he hasn’t threatened it, but has considered it (“Somebody ought to belt you in the mouth, but I won’t”)?

What if there’s no evidence that he’s never said or done anything to suggest he might become violent, but a woman in tears says she’s afraid he might become violent and hurt her children.  That’s a common claim in custody battles.  Once the court has made a finding the man is potentially dangerous, there’s no way he’s ever going to get custody of his kids.  Is one party’s self-serving claim enough to deprive a man of his kids AND his guns?

What if someone finds out I’ve snorted derisively at the suggestion cross-dressers should be allowed to use the women’s bathroom – is that “violence” against the trans-gendered?  Are my guns at risk?

Well, no, not right away.  Not in this version of the statute.  It’s like the seat-belt law – in the initial version, there’s no fine.  Until next session, when it’s amended as part of the school funding bill so nobody can vote against it without being accused of hating children.  Until the prosecutor decides to demand your guns for a parking ticket, the judge appointed by the liberal Democrat governor goes along with it, and the judges on the court of appeals appointed by the liberal Democrat governor declare it was a harmless error which should not be overturned.  Next stop, Supreme Court, but how much lawyering can you afford?

Test cases are for other people.

And so will due process be, if the left has its way.