White nationalists could have firearms taken under red flag law proposed by Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris on Wednesday said if elected president she will press Congress to pass a red flag law that would allow law enforcement officials to temporarily seize the firearms of white nationalists that may be on the verge of carrying out a hate crime.

The Democratic presidential candidate's proposal calls for the creation of “domestic terrorism prevention orders” that would give law enforcement and family members of suspected white nationalists or domestic terrorists the ability to petition a federal court to temporarily restrict a person’s access to guns if the person exhibits clear evidence of being a danger.

“We need to take action to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people and stop violent, hate-fueled attacks before they happen,” Harris said. “By focusing on confronting these domestic terror threats, we can save lives.”

Harris' decision to focus on the risk of white nationalists comes at a moment when there's a growing push at the state level to enact red flag laws that allow law enforcement, or in some cases family members, to petition a judge to temporarily remove guns from a person determined to pose a danger to themselves or others.