Today’s legislative action follows Gov. Whitmer’s signature last week of safe storage and universal background check bills
LANSING, Mich. (April 19, 2023) — Today, the Michigan Senate finalized Senate Bill 83, sponsored by Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak), to allow a court to issue an “Extreme Risk Protection Order” (ERPO) to temporarily intervene to suspend a person’s access to firearms if they show clear warning signs of violence and pose an immediate threat to themselves or others. The Senate also passed House bills related to establishing ERPOs, House Bills 4146, 4147, and 4148.
“Six out of every ten gun deaths in the United States are suicides. My bill and the related health legislation will help save lives by allowing family members, law enforcement, and mental health professionals to identify and intervene with individuals who may be at risk of harming themselves,” said Sen. McMorrow. “Along with safe storage laws and universal background checks, we are finally taking concrete steps to stem the tide of the gun violence epidemic that threatens public safety and the bright futures of our kids.”
A Glengariff poll released recently found that 74.5 percent of respondents support passage of a law that creates red flag (ERPO) laws to allow law enforcement to temporarily take guns away from a person deemed a risk to themselves or others by a court, which Sen. McMorrow’s bill addresses. Gun owners and Republican respondents also expressed support for red flag laws.
ERPOs allow loved ones or law enforcement to ask a court to temporarily order the removal of guns from an individual who is at risk of harming themselves or others. These laws can deescalate dangerous situations and reduce gun violence, including suicides and mass shootings, while still upholding due process in the legal system. Nineteen states and Washington, D.C. currently have Red Flag laws in place. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, Connecticut and Indiana experienced a reduction in firearm suicide rates following enactment of Extreme Risk laws.
###