A bill by U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), which would allow allow family members and law enforcement to obtain an "extreme risk protection order" to block access to firearms to people considered a danger to themselves or others, has passed a House committee.
“Nearly nine years ago, I lost my son Jordan to gun violence," the congresswoman said in a news release. "He was just 17 years old. I dreamed of one day seeing him walk across the stage at his high school graduation, or walk down the aisle at his wedding. I received the call that far too many families in our nation receive, and every day have felt a pain that will never fade.”
McBath's bill, H.R. 2377, passed the House Judiciary Committee Oct. 27
"Extreme risk laws empower loved ones or law enforcement to intervene and temporarily prevent someone in crisis from accessing firearms," McBath said in a news release. "These laws, sometimes referred to as 'red flag' laws, can help de-escalate emergency situations. They are a proven way to intervene before an incident of gun violence — such as a firearm suicide or mass shooting — occurs and takes more lives."
Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have similar laws, McBath said.
"This legislation would set a national standard to save lives," the news release said.
She cited a report by a group called Everytown that said in 51 percent of mass shootings from 2009 to 2017, "the attacker exhibited warning signs before the shooting."
Before a 2014 mass shooting in California in May 2014, "The shooter made homicidal and suicidal threats, and his parents alerted law enforcement," the news release said. "But there was nothing they could legally do to remove his firearms."
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