Colorado's New 'Red Flag' Law Illustrates the Pitfalls of Disarming People Based on Their Future Behavior

The process for obtaining "extreme risk protection orders" that take away people's Second Amendment rights is rigged against gun owners from the outset.

This month Colorado became the 15th state to enact a "red flag" law that authorizes court orders forbidding gun possession by people deemed a threat to themselves or others. The new law, which has drawn strong criticism from Second Amendment advocates, including some county sheriffs, illustrates the civil liberties concerns raised by such attempts to identify and disarm people prone to suicide or homicide.

Colorado's Deputy Zackari...