Due Process

President Trump’s comments shocking to supporters of Second Amendment

Sometimes it’s hard to know when President Donald Trump is making a serious point or just joking.

But it’s a lot easier to know when you hope he’s just joking.

On Wednesday, the president, Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials met with members of Congress in the White House Cabinet Room. The subject was what could be done to prevent future school shootings in the wake of the tragedy in Parkland, Fla.

Pence noted that in some states, notably California, police can go to court and get an order allowing them to seize guns from individuals who exhibit certain “red flag” behavior.

The FBI and local law enforcement have been under heavy criticism for not taking some action on reports of such behavior by Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooter Nikolas Cruz.

The vice president said getting a court order allows “due process, so that no one’s rights are trampled.”

President Trump, however, wanted to know why police should wait for a judge.

“Or, Mike, take the firearms first and then go to court,” the president said. “Because a lot of times, by the time you go to court, it takes so long to go to court, to get the due process procedures. I like taking the guns early, like in this crazy man’s case that just took place in Florida.”

Naturally that shook up some Republican lawmakers. But we can only hope the president wasn’t being serious. Or at least reconsiders.

Everyone wants to stop school shootings. But we must be careful to follow the Constitution. Police can’t just seize lawfully owned guns on a tip or a hunch, no matter how credible. That’s not a road we want to take. Nor do we think the American people would be onboard with such a move.

Allowing law enforcement across the country to seize firearms with enough probable cause for a court order could be an effective weapon against mass shootings. But we must not skirt due process.