TTAG reader Pascal writes:
Click here to read Connecticut’s SB 650. AN ACT CONCERNING TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDERS is the Constitution State version of California’s Gun Violence Restraining Order. Check out Section 3(b) of the CT bill. The bill creates a cop carve-out. Whereas non-LEOs (law enforcement officers) may have to wait up to 14-days to get a hearing with a judge , to begin the process of recovering his or her firearms, if it’s a cop who’s subject to a pre-crime gun-confiscating TRO, well, that’s different. The law now says . . .
“such peace officer may request of the Judicial Branch that the hearing on the application be held as soon as practicable.”
In other words, a police officer who’s had a spouse, significant other or family member ask the court to remove his or her firearms pending an official hearing gets an immediate hearing.
Once again, it’s one rule for us and a different rule for them. Which begs the question: if the legislature is so worried about domestic violence, why do police get a special carve out?
ED: this is a terrible, terrible law that violates the 2nd amendment of the Constitutional and the presumption of innocence found in 5th, 6th, and 14th amendments. It should never see the light of day. It should be sent back to the dark corners of unrepentant statism from whence it came. That said, it’s also worth noting this [via theatlantic.com]:
The National Center for Women and Policing noted in a heavily footnoted information sheet, “Two studies have found that at least 40 percent of police officer families experience domestic violence, in contrast to 10 percent of families in the general population. A third study of older and more experienced officers found a rate of 24 percent, indicating that domestic violence is two to four times more common among police families than American families in general.”
Cops “typically handle cases of police family violence informally, often without an official report, investigation, or even check of the victim’s safety,” the summary continues. “This ‘informal’ method is often in direct contradiction to legislative mandates and departmental policies regarding the appropriate response to domestic violence crimes.” Finally, “even officers who are found guilty of domestic violence are unlikely to be fired, arrested, or referred for prosecution.”
I’m thinking enforcement of existing domestic abuse statutes would be an excellent place to start tackling this issue, for both non-LEO and the police charges with protecting them.