The Seattle Police Department has begun confiscating firearms belonging to law abiding citizens, using an obscure “red flag law” for the first time in history.
The gun grab began after the officers took a handgun belonging to a man in downtown Seattle on Thursday.
Komonews.com reports: Washington state is one of five states that has passed the law, known as the Extreme Risk Protection Order, which gives law enforcement the ability to seize a gun from a person if they believe the person poses a significant danger to themselves or others.
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Seattle police say the department received several calls about the 31-year-old man’s escalating behavior.
At one point, staff from a restaurant near the man’s home in the 2200 block of Second Avenue reported to police that the man was harassing them while carrying a holstered firearm.
Police said officers also seized a shotgun from the man in a different incident.
Because of his continued contacts with police, the Crisis Response Squad filed an Extreme Risk Protection Order, which required the man to give up all of his firearms.
The man reportedly failed to turn the firearms over or appear for court, so police then arrested him at his apartment Thursday.
The release states that officers were able to seize a .25 caliber handgun and are in the process of recovering several other firearms the man owned that are currently with a family member.
