While so-called red flag laws permitting authorities to seize guns belonging to people deemed a significant risk to public safety appear to offer an important new tool in reeling in American gun violence, a recent case in Washington state indicates its limitations, too.
Authorities in King County recently issued a warrant for the arrest of Kaleb J. Cole, the 24-year-old state leader of the neo-Nazi terror organization Atomwaffen Division, after he was arrested in Texas on gun-possession charges. Cole had been prohibited from being in possession of any guns after Washington state courts in October issued an Extreme Risk Protection Order directing Cole to surrender all his weapons.
Cole and another Atomwaffen member from Washington, 23-year-old Aiden Bruce-Umbaugh, were pulled over for speeding in Post, Texas, on Nov. 4, wearing tactical gear, and were arrested after a search of their car revealed both guns and drugs, along with large quantities of ammunition. Bruce-Umbaugh told police both the guns and the drugs belonged to him and was charged with being a drug user in possession of a firearm.
When Cole surrendered his firearms in October, there was some concern among antifascists that, even as he appeared to be acquiescing to the order, he might still have some guns stowed away elsewhere. Washington’s “red flag” law permits courts to seize weapons, but relies mostly on voluntary cooperation, though search warrants can be obtained through a second court order.
Western Washington has been plagued with the presence of a number of far-right extremists and their organizations the past several years, including street-brawling groups such as Joey Gibson’s Patriot Prayer and the Proud Boys, as well as more violent paramilitary organizations such as Atomwaffen Division and The Base, which recently began holding training exercises in the state’s northeastern corner.
There’s also a fair amount of crossover membership within these groups. A member of the Proud Boys from the Seattle neighborhood of Ballard, Sean-Michael Scott, was recently exposed by Puget Sound Anarchists as another participant in Atomwaffen exercises as well.
According to Ali Winston at The Daily Beast, Cole liked to use the nom de plume Khimaere in his online exchanges with other Atomwaffen members. He is also a fan of neo-Nazi “black metal” music and was in a band called Opferblut, which means “sacrificial blood” in German; Cole apparently likes to mix Satanism with his fascist ideology.
The Seattle Times notes that Cole had two previous run-ins with law enforcement in Bellingham and Anacortes involving the display of Nazi symbols. It also explains that Cole cannot be extradited from Texas on the gun charge, and can only be arrested if and when he returns to Washington.
