No money to police that don’t enforce gun safety laws

• Senator Chris Murphy proposed that law enforcement agencies that do not enforce gun laws be defunded.
• Murphy stated that many counties with red flag gun laws have indicated they will not enforce them.
• Officials in Colorado said the red flag law of Colorado should have been activated to alert authorities about the suspected gunman involved in the Club Q shooting.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy proposed that funding be withheld from law enforcement agencies who refuse to enforce gun safety legislation.

CNN’s Sunday comments by the Connecticut senator were in response to several recent mass shootings. This included the Club Q shooting that left five people in Colorado Springs.

Colorado officials stated that the 22 year-old suspect gunman should’ve triggered the state’s Red Flag Law. However, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office officers rejected the use of the red flag law. 

Murphy stated on Sunday that “I believe we need to have a dialogue about whether we can continue funding law enforcement funds in states which are refusing to apply these gun laws.” I will discuss this with my colleagues. “60 percent of the country’s counties are refusing to implement our gun laws. We must do something about it.

The gunman suspected in the Club Q shooting attempted to kill his mother by threatening him with a bomb in 2021. This could have been triggered Colorado’s Extreme Risk Protection Order which permits a judge in Colorado to temporarily seize firearms that pose a danger to themselves and others.

However, El Paso County sheriff’s office declared itself to be a “Second Amendment Preservation County” in 2019, and refused to apply the red flag laws, according to Colorado Springs Gazette. 

—CNN (@CNN) November 27, 2022

Murphy stated that “What we’ve learned in Colorado is the fact that the county where the shooting occurred is a Second Amendment sanctuary state.” “The majority (over 80%) of the country’s counties have stated that they will not enforce federal and state gun laws. They have decided to refuse to implement laws currently in place. This is a problem that is growing in this country.

Dana Bash asked Murphy directly if he wanted to “withhold funds for law enforcement.” He replied that senators “will have to have a discussion about that.” 

“Do you want to continue funding law enforcement in counties refusing to comply with federal and state gun laws?” Red flag laws have a huge popularity, right? Murphy agreed. “This is an option to allow it to continue. They’re extremely popular, including red flag laws and assault weapons bans. They aren’t controversial outside Washington. I do hope we can finally accomplish something this year or next.