The nation is still trying to process the horror of a mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh and a race-based killing in Jeffersontown Kentucky. When we are finally able to process our grief, we are left with the seemingly unanswerable problem of how to prevent the next tragedy.  After the Parkland shooting, Maryland attempted to answer that question by creating, the  Extreme Risk Protective Order, giving the courts and police a new tool to prevent gun violence. On October 10, 2018, the MSBA Family & Juvenile Law Section hosted a presentation on this new law.

Maryland’s new Extreme Risk Protective Order became effective on October 1, 2018.  According to the Maryland Court website,

An Extreme Risk Protective Order (ERPO) is a court-issued civil order temporarily requiring a person to:

• surrender any firearms or ammunition to law enforcement; and
• not purchase or possess firearms or ammunition.

With reasonable belief that a person meets the requirements, an ERPO allows the court to refer someone for an emergency evaluation due to mental disorder.

The presentation offered section members a chance to learn about the procedures and implementation of the new law from experts that were critical to its enactment. You can listen to the presentation in its entirety below. The first recording is an overview of the law and why it was passed. The second recording is a Q&A session with members of the Family and Juvenile law section.

No law will prevent every tragedy but this law may prevent some. According to Jen Pauliukonis, president of Marylanders Against Gun Violence, as of October 10th at least 10 Extreme Risk Protection Orders have been issued in Maryland or as Jen puts it “I’m seeing that as a minimum of 10 lives that would be saved”.

Overview of Extreme Risk Protection Orders and their history

Q&A about Extreme Risk Protection Orders