“Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.”- Cyril Connolly (1903 - 1974)

What-cha Ya Gonna Do When The Red Flag Law Comes Fo You???

By de Andréa

Opinion Editorialist for

‘THE BOTTOM LINE’

Posted October 17, 2019

If you would like to write me direct with a question or a comment on this or other articles, you can email me at writedeandrea@hotmail.com

84 year old crossing guard fired and his home raided, guns seized. Why? RED FLAG LAWS.

This violates so many Constitutional laws I can’t even count that high.

Korean War-era veteran and retired Tisbury cop says actions were taken over an overheard misinterpreted conversation.

This my friend is what you can expect more of in the near future. This is how the Communists will disarm Americans just as they did in Venezuela leaving its citizens totally helpless to save their once free country.

By the looks of the picture, it looks like they may have sapped him on the forehead as well.

Stephen Nichols, 84, was fired from his job as a Tisbury crossing guard for an alleged "threat." He says his private overheard comments were heard wrong and misinterpreted.

A Tisbury School crossing guard has been relieved of duty and had his personal firearms confiscated for wrongful alleged threats to the Tisbury School overheard by a waitress at Linda Jean’s restaurant in Oak Bluffs.

Stephen Nichols, who said his career with the Tisbury Police spanned six decades and who served in the United States Army during the Korean War, told The Times he made no threats to the school, but had criticized its school resource guard officer in a private conversation with a friend. He said the private conversation was reported wrong and taken out of context.

I hope at least some of you will recognize the situation here as being one of Communist Russia USSR. Neighbor’s falsely rat finking on others to make points with the KGB.

Dan Larkosh, of the Edgartown firm Larkosh and Jackson, represents Nichols, and said he intends to file an appeal of the decision by Tisbury Police Chief Mark Saloio to seize guns owned by Nichols, as well as his CCW license to carry.

The police department has refused to release the police report from the investigation citing the “personnel” exemption of the public records law.

No criminal charges were filed against Nichols, they just legally stole his guns with an illegal unconstitutional law.

Nichols said he was unimpressed with the Tisbury School resource officer’s trips to Xtra Mart to get coffee when children came to school in the morning. While dining at Linda Jean’s a couple of weeks ago, Nichols said he told a friend about this and said: “somebody could shoot up the school in that officer’s absence”, which he described as “leaving his post.”

Nichols said the waitress made a complaint to Tisbury Police about what she thought she overheard and on the strength of that, Saloio and another officer relieved Nichols of his crossing guard duties while he was in the midst of performing them and subsequently drove to his home and stole his firearms license and guns.

“He came up and told me what I said was a felony but he wasn’t going to charge me,” Nichols said of Saloio. That seems to be part of these illegal laws, they are not charged with anything, and the police just confiscate their guns, in some states without a warrant.

Asked if he was given a letter or any paperwork for the seizure of his license, Nichols said, “No he just told me to hand it over so I took it out of my wallet and handed it to him.” Nichols said he has been licensed for firearms since 1958. He said he didn’t receive any paperwork or receipts for the seizure of his guns, either.

In a lengthy interview with The Times, Nichols explained his concern about Tisbury School: “When I was in the United States Army, and it wasn’t just me, it’s anybody who’s in the United States service, if you are on guard duty for eight hours, you didn’t leave that position,” Nichols said. “And I’m just so accustomed to that, that when I see someone who’s supposed to be protecting kids…leave the school unguarded — if you’re on guard duty, you stay there.”

Tisbury School Principal John Custer told The Times he was familiar with Nichols as a crossing guard but when asked if he knew of the Nichols’ situation, Custer responded by saying “crossing guards are hired, trained and scheduled, entirely by the police department.”

Linda Jean’s owner Marc Hanover said he’s known Nichols for decades and vouched for his integrity. He described the situation as “absolutely outrageous.” He said “he believes one of his servers overreacted.” Hanover said he spoke with the restaurant patron who had conversed with Nichols at the time of the alleged threats. “He assured me there was never a threat made,” Hanover said.

That patron, Edgartown resident Andy Marcus, described the situation as “absurd.” Marcus confirmed Nichols did not threaten the school but pointed out that Nichols thought Ogden, the resource officer, was having coffee at Xtra Mart and leaving the students potentially exposed. Marcus said he has known Nichols for years and often talks with him at the counter of Linda Jean’s. He said nobody at that restaurant but one server holds the opinion Nichols possibly posed a threat to the Tisbury School. Marcus said in addition to being a longtime special police officer, Nichols was a court officer and a constable.

“He loves kids,” Marcus said.

Nichols said he’s never been accused of threatening a school and never had a firearms violation. “I’ve got no record of any violations,” he said.

Nichols said he never carries guns outside the house and would like to have his license and his guns back, but the fate of the guns are sealed. I will never get them back. “My grandson is manager of a gun shop in Worcester, Mass and maybe he’s going to be allowed to come down and take the weapons and sell them for me,” he said.

Nichols said he has 11 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. “I would never, ever, ever, harm a child,” he said. Nichols lost his wife two years ago and values his crossing guard work as a connection to the outside world. “I just need something to do to get out of the house and I love the kids, but that’s over now” he said.

The folly of 'Red Flag' gun laws

Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams in Colorado made news over his willingness to go to jail over his refusal to enforce what will soon be the state’s new “Red Flag” law.

Given the way the anti-American news media plays these laws, also known as Extreme Risk Protection Orders, as being so sensible, Sheriff Reams is cast to look like a kooky right-winger. After all, who could be against taking away guns from people who are a danger to themselves or others right?

But the laws are more complicated than usually discussed in the press. Depending upon the state, anyone from a family member, intimate partner, ex, house or apartment mates, disgruntled neighbor or police can file a complaint. Under Colorado’s proposed law, anyone can make a phone call to the police. They don’t even have to be living in the state. There is no hearing, no investigation, all the judges have before them is the say so of an unknown person.

Fourteen states have now adopted these laws. Nine states adopted these laws last year after Parkland. Colorado will be the second state this year to adopt the law. U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat, and Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, have similar laws that they are pushing.

In the first nine months after Florida passed its Red Flag law last year, judges granted more than 1,000 confiscation orders. In the three months after Maryland’s law went into effect on Oct. 1, more than 300 people had their guns taken away.

In one case in Anne Arundel County, a 60-year-old man was killed when the police stormed his home unannounced at 5 a.m. to take away his guns. The Man thought he was being attacked and robbed so he resisted and was shot to death by police.

Little certainty is needed. Some states allow initial confiscations on just a “suspicion,” which is little more than a guess or a hunch. These standards allow a judge to take away a person’s right to self-defense when there is significantly less than 50 percent chance of something bad happening.
Only one state’s law mentions mental illness. The individuals who are identifying who they think are dangerous do so on an “I will know it when I see it” standard.

Even misdemeanor violations can cost you your right to own a gun. Gun control advocates want to take firearms away from people arrested but not even convicted of crimes. Their unwillingness to make that explicit indicates that they are afraid that courts would strike down such laws.

It has always been possible to take away someone’s guns, but all 50 states have required testimony by a mental health expert before a judge. Hearings could be conducted very quickly in urgent cases, but gun control advocates argue that it’s important to not even alert the person that his guns may be taken away. Hence, the 5 a.m. police raids. You are now guilty even if you are eventually proven innocent. You won’t get your guns back…

Despite the sacrifices, the evidence shows no benefits from these laws. Looking at data from 1970 through 2017, Red Flag laws appear to have had no significant effect on murder, suicide, the number of people killed in mass public shootings, robbery, aggravated assault or burglary. There is some evidence that rape rates have risen. These laws do not save lives. What they do, do is violate the Constitution and leave one helpless.

Everyone wants to stop mass public shooters. But we haven’t previously punished people because we have little more than a hunch, without any specific rules, that they might be a danger. Sheriff Steve Reams knows that the low standards mean that there are going to be a lot of mistakes. Stopping “future crimes” didn’t work in the movies, and they aren’t, and will not work in real life. What they will do, as the Framers knew all too well, is destroy your Constitutional rights and leave a vacuum for tyranny.

THE BOTTOM LINE: I have little to add to this story except to say that if someone, anyone, breaks into my house unannounced at 5:00 am, the first five intruders will get a face full of 12 gage double 00 buckshot. No more coffee and donuts for you!

If this is not what you want my friend, you had better do something about it now while you still can. Or’ you can just do nothing and you will soon be in total subjection to martial law and tyranny. Remember we now live in a Democracy where the majority of elected officials rule, not the Constitution.

Few recognized it, but our free Constitutional Republic began dying back in 1913 with the introduction of a true Democracy and the abolition of our Constitutional Representative Republic. Today we are experiencing the results of that mistake.

Think about it…

Thanks for listening my friend. Now go do the right thing, pray and fight for truth and freedom.

- de Andréa

Please pass on this article to everyone on your email list. It may be the only chance for your family and or friends to hear the truth.

The Fine Print

Disclaimer - The writer of this blog is not responsible for the language or advertisements used in links to referenced articles as source materials.

The Bottom Line

Thursday, October 17, 2019