Gaetz said on Thursday that any Republican senator who supported red flag laws for guns would be betraying their voters.
During the Judiciary House Committee's debate on a gun safety bill, his opposition to red flag laws was brought up.
Gaetz said the message from the hearing should be clear. You betray your voters if you support red flag laws.
He said that you do nothing to make mass shootings less likely.
Gaetz said red flag laws would put a target on the back of the people they were supposed to protect. He said that these will be abused.
Gaetz, who sits on the committee, tabled an amendment stating that Congress does not favor the enactment of red flag laws.
—Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) June 2, 2022
State red flag laws allow family members, law enforcement, medical officers, or school authorities to seek quick court intervention over a person they believe is a gun threat to themselves or others.
Congress will discuss red flag laws next week.
The bill raised the purchase age for semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21 and restricted high-capacity magazines.
Republican representatives on the committee were in favor of Gaetz's amendment.
There isn't enough time for a proper investigation or due process when a person is barred from owning a gun quickly.
Gaetz said that someone who wanted revenge on an ex-lover could have their guns taken from them.
The chair of the committee said that it wouldn't make sense for the amendment to say that Congress doesn't like it.
The Democrats pointed out that Gaetz's state of Florida has a red flag gun law that was supported by the Trump administration.
The person didn't have due process. Who didn't have their rights respected? The list goes on and on, David Cicilline said. Don't bother me about constitutional rights.
The government's response to domestic abuse cases is what inspired red flag gun laws, according to Cicilline.
Gaetz's amendment was defeated in a vote. The bill received a 25-19 vote in favor of sending it to the floor.
It's likely to pass in the House of Representatives, where Democrats hold the majority, but it's not certain if the legislature will survive a Republican-led Senate.
As President Joe Biden urged lawmakers to act on gun control, Gaetz and his GOP colleagues held a similar stance. He supported a red-flag law.
He asked how much more carnage were we willing to accept.
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