NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Covenant School shooting is renewing debate over “red flag” laws, designed to temporarily take away weapons from individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others.
Nashville Police Chief John Drake said he wishes more could’ve been done to alert officers to Audrey Hale before Monday’s tragic shooting at The Covenant School.
“Had it been reported that she was suicidal or that she was going to kill someone, and it had been made known to us, then we would have tried to get those weapons,” Drake said.
Currently, 19 states have “red flag” laws, allowing law enforcement to take away guns. But do the laws actually work?
Jeffrey Swanson, Ph.D., a psychiatry and behavioral sciences professor at Duke University School of Medicine, has been studying red flag laws for years. Swanson is also an affiliate of the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law School and part of the Duke Center for Firearms Law.
“Has a probate court said that he is incompetent and does he have a guardian? Well, has he committed a crime, has he broken the law? No. Well then call us back when he does something. So, it might be too late,” Swanson said.
For “red flag” laws to be successful, Swanson notes states must actually use them.
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