New York Post, Tuesday, August 6, 2019
nypost.com
DOUBLE MASSACRE
TRUMP RAISES THE ‘RED FLAGS’
Excerpt of President Trump’s
comments yesterday:T
HESE barbaric slaughters
are an assault upon our
communities, an attack
upon our nation, and a
crime against all of humanity.
We are outraged and sickened
by this monstrous evil, the cru-
elty, the hatred, the malice, the
bloodshed, and the terror. Our
hearts are shattered for every
family whose parents, children,
husbands and wives were
ripped from their arms and their
lives. America weeps for the
fallen.
We are a loving nation, and
our children are entitled to grow
up in a just, peaceful, and loving
society. Together, we lock armsto shoulder the grief, we ask
God in Heaven to ease the an-
guish of those who suffer, and
we vow to act with urgent
resolve.
The shooter in El Paso posted
a manifesto online consumed by
racist hate. In one voice, our na-
tion must condemn racism, big-
otry and white supremacy.
These sinister ideologies must
be defeated. Hate has no place in
America. Hatred warps the
mind, ravages the heart, and de-
vours the soul. We have asked
the FBI to identify all further re-
sources they need to investigate
and disrupt hate crimes and do-
mestic terrorism — whatever
they need.
We must recognize that the In-
ternet has provided a dangerousavenue to radicalize disturbed
minds and perform demented
acts. We must shine light on the
dark recesses of the Internet,
and stop mass murders before
they start.
The Internet, likewise, is used
for human trafficking, illegal
drug distribution, and so many
other heinous crimes. The perils
of the Internet and social media
cannot be ignored, and they will
not be ignored.
In the two decades since Col-
umbine, our nation has watched
with rising horror and dread as
one mass shooting has followed
another — over and over again,
decade after decade.
We cannot allow ourselves to
feel powerless. We can and will
stop this evil contagion. In thattask, we must honor the sacred
memory of those we have lost by
acting as one people. Open
wounds cannot heal if we are di-
vided. We must seek real, bipar-
tisan solutions. We have to do
that in a bipartisan manner. That
will truly make America safer
and better for all.
First, we must do a better job
of identifying and acting on
early warning signs. I am direct-
ing the Department of Justice to
work in partnership with local,
state and federal agencies, as
well as social media companies,
to develop tools that can detect
mass shooters before they strike.
As an example, the monster in
the Parkland high school in Flor-
ida had many red flags against
him, and yet nobody took deci-‘Condemn racism, bigotry and
The bulletproof vest worn
by Ohio gunman Connor Betts
is legal to own in all 50 states
— unless you’re a convicted
criminal.
And anyone who wants to buy
body armor can do so online or
by phone anywhere except Con-
necticut, which requires that
purchases be made in person.
Federal law has banned fel-
ons convicted of violent
crimes from buying, owning
or possessing body armor
since 2002, and violating that
law carries a sentence of up to
three years in prison.
In addition, anyone who
wears body armor during a
crime involving violence or
drug trafficking faces an en-
hanced sentence under federal
guidelines.
A majority of states also make
it illegal to wear a bulletproof
vest while committing a crime.
In New York, it’s a felony pun-
ishable by up to four years in
prison to wear body armor
while committing a violent
crime and carrying a firearm.
A bill introduced in March by
Assemblyman Doug Smith
(R-LI) would strengthen that
law by expanding the underly-
ing offenses to any misde-
meanor or felony. It also would
mandate that the sentence for
violating the law run consecu-
tively to any related convictions.
The BulletSafe body armor
company of Troy, Mich., sells
vests, starting at $299 each,
that it says will protect wear-
ers from a .44 Magnum slug.
“We ship to New York all the
time,” company founder Tom
Nardone told The Post.
Bruce GoldingBody
armor
so easy
to buy
Recent mass shootings have sparked
a series of gun-control proposals
in Congress:n The Bipartisan Background Checks
Act of 2019: This legislation would close
the “gun-show loophole” by prohibiting
most private firearm sales unless a
licensed gun dealer, manufacturer
or importer first takes possession of
the weapon to conduct a background
check on the buyer. It passed the House
in February by a vote of 240-190, with
eight Republicans in favor and two
Democrats opposed.n The Enhanced Background Checks
Act of 2019: This bill would extend the
time for a gun seller to obtain a federal
background check on a buyer to 10
days, with the potential for another 10
if needed. Current law allows sales to
go through if the check isn’t finished
within three days, which is how whiteStriving
for reform
nationalist Dylann Roof bought
the .45-caliber Glock handgun
he used to slaughter nine black
worshippers at the Emanuel AME
Church in Charleston, SC, in 2015.
It passed the House in February,
on a largely party-line vote of
228-198.n “Red flag” laws: These state
laws, first endorsed by President
Trump following last year’s high-
school massacre in Parkland, Fla.,
let authorities obtain “extreme-
risk protection orders” to seize
guns from people deemed a
danger to themselves or others,
and prevent them from buying
any more until the orders are
lifted. Seventeen states and the
District of Columbia have passed
them, including New York, where
a measure signed by Gov. Cuomo
in February goes into effect on
Aug. 24. Sens. Lindsey Graham
(R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal
(D-Conn.) on Monday announced
plans for federal legislation
encouraging the remaining states
to pass similar laws.