The goal for safe communities, and protecting our loved ones, is common ground, a goal around which all of us can rally. It is a goal and worry that can keep us up at night. The violence that can harm our community members is tragic to experience and unpleasant to think about. Understanding and implementing solutions to that violence is also upsetting -- but necessary.
In 2016, Washington state passed something called an Extreme Risk law, also known as a “red flag law” or extreme risk protection order (ERPO). ERPOs are designed to temporarily limit access to firearms for individuals found in a civil court process to pose an imminent risk of harm to themselves or others in order to prevent firearm injuries.
, which works to reduce gun violence in America, cites a that found when looking at only those cases in which the individual had demonstrated a threat of self-harm, a suicide was averted for every 13 ERPOs issued.
Everytown describes Extreme Risk laws as allowing “for quick intervention when a person is at serious risk of harming themselves or others with a firearm. These laws enable … a court order that temporarily removes guns from these dangerous situations—and prohibits the person from buying new guns.” It is important to know that in Washington state both Law enforcement and family/household members can petition for an order using and filing it at a municipal, district, or superior court. This describes the full process.
Please pass this information on to families and staff, spread the word about this important law that can help us unite around the common ground of protecting our loved ones.