Weld County, Colorado Sheriff Red Flagged by an Inmate
Leo Crispin, an inmate in Weld county jail in Colorado, filed a red flag petition against Sheriff Steve Reams claiming that the deputies were intimidating inmates by carrying shotguns in prison. Crispin claimed that the prison was his “household” and the deputies were a danger to themselves as well the inmates.
Judge James F. Hartman dismissed the petition saying it does not warrant a hearing. He added that the firearms that the deputies carried did not contain lethal projectiles as ordinary shotguns. Additionally, the judge noted that the inmate failed to provide any evidence that carrying a firearm in jail was a security risk. Although the judge dismissed the petition, Sheriff Reams criticized the red flag law’s loose definition as well as ease of abuse.
“I would argue the system failed because this inmate was able to exploit the legislation’s loose definition of a ‘household’ to levy the petition in the first place,” Reams said.
Sheriff Reams is among the first sheriffs to openly declare that they would not enforce the unconstitutional gun control laws during the height of the gun control debate earlier last year. Consequently, he became the symbol of the sheriff resistance movement and became very popular with the media for his opposition to the law.
“I can’t enforce a law I believe goes against our state constitution or our federal Constitution,” Sheriff Reams said last year.
This is the second time the confiscation orders have been filed against a law enforcement officer in the same state. A Colorado State University police officer faced confiscation orders after a woman lied about their relations after he shot her son in the line of duty. The court dismissed the petition and charged the woman with first-degree perjury and attempting to influence a public servant. The “red flag” laws are easy to abuse because they rely on flimsy allegations as evidence for temporary confiscation before a proper hearing.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is pushing universal background checks in our state, and if left unchecked, it will not be long until we see bills like this getting traction in Austin. Texas is embarrassingly ranked 29th for gun rights, and with the help of the political elites in Austin, we will surely rank among New York, California, and Illinois if left to their own devices. Please join our fight today, and help us restore Texas' place as the standard for the U.S.
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