Hate Gun Violence, Live in CT? Calls to Action from CT Against Gun Violence to Pass “Red Flag” Gun Laws in Your State
Call to Action
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GD 4.8.20 rev2
How you can support Extreme Risk Protection Orders
to prevent gun death by suicide and homicide
Extreme Risk Protection Orders (EROP) offer a legal mechanism—with due process
protections for gun owners’ Second Amendment rights—for people to petition courts or to
warn the police (the process varies by state) about a person they believe is at risk of
imminent harm to themselves or others and who may have access to firearms. If a judge
finds there is a risk of imminent harm, they can issue a risk protection order allowing the
firearms to be removed.
Currently 18 states and the District of Columbia have ERPO laws. Extreme Risk Protection
laws save lives. As reported in a 2017 Duke-Yale-UCONN study, for every 10 to 20 risk
protection orders issued in Connecticut, one suicide is prevented. Recent cases in Stafford,
CT and Norwalk, CT demonstrate how ERPO protects the public from potential mass
shootings as well. Other states have strong anecdotal evidence demonstrating the efficacy
of ERPO laws to prevent mass shootings and other forms of gun homicide.
Now, after more than 20 years since Connecticut became the first
state in the nation to implement ERPO, it’s time to strengthen its
provisions to make it work harder to save lives.
Here’s what you can do if you live in Connecticut, or elsewhere, to
make ERPO more available to prevent gun deaths.
If you live in Connecticut:
While plans for the 2020 legislative session are uncertain, there is
still value in contacting your state legislators asking them to support
HB-5448, the bill to strengthen our 20-year-old ERPO law. Click here
to send an email to your state representative and senator asking
them to co-sponsor HB-5448. For a summary of the bill, click here.
An additional action you can take is to submit testimony in support
of the bill to the Judiciary Committee. It doesn’t need to be more
than a couple of paragraphs, and our CAGV Written Testimony
Guide gives you everything you need to know.
To learn more about how you can help, subscribe to CAGV emails
here.
If you live outside of Connecticut:
If your state doesn’t have an ERPO law, write your state legislators
urging them to pass legislation to implement it. Look up your state
legislators here. To learn more about how you can help in your state, look for your state
affiliate of States United to Prevent Gun Violence.
Wherever you live:
Ask your U.S. Senators to co-sponsor S.506, the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act
introduced by Senator Feinstein (D-CA). Senators Blumenthal (D-CT) and Graham (R- ) are
also working on bi-paritsan legislation, but have not yet introduced a bill. Look up your
senators here.
Learn more about ERPOs:
● Coalition to Stop Gun Violence: Extreme Risk Laws
● Giffords Law Center: Extreme Risk Protection Orders
● Education Fund to Stop Gun Violence: Data behind Extreme Risk Protective Order
Policies: A Look at CT’s Risk-Warrant Law
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