Why All States Need Extreme Risk Protection Orders
In a country plagued by both suicide and gun violence, extreme risk protection orders are the best option for dealing with these issues, at least in the short term.
Extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) allow for the temporary removal of an individual’s guns if the individual poses a threat to themselves or others. These orders are filed by family members or law enforcement officers who have testified that they have observed worrisome actions from the person in question. If a mother, a father, a sister, or a brother sees someone in their family showing signs of suicidal ideation and know that person has access to a gun, they can intervene and save a life.
Every day, 123 people take their own lives in America. Firearms were used in fifty-one percent of those deaths, immensely surpassing the rates of suicide death by suffocation and poisoning, which make up 25.9% and 14.9% respectively. Not only do firearm deaths account for the majority of suicides, they also make up two-thirds of all gun-related deaths, claiming an average of 59 lives a day. Guns are an especially deadly means of attempting suicide, with an 85% fatality rate.
Extreme risk protection orders and other similar laws have been proven to work in the states that have enacted them.
Indiana experienced a 7.5% decrease in the number of suicides after their risk-based gun seizure laws had been in effect for 10 years, with the overall suicide rate in Indiana decreasing steadily alongside it. Under Connecticut’s law, for every 10 to 20 guns that were seized, one suicide was prevented. In addition, Connecticut’s firearm suicide rate decreased by 13.7% after their original 1999 law was heavily enforced following the Virginia Tech massacre.
Unfortunately, the majority of extreme risk protection orders today were only implemented within the past few months or years, leaving a lack of identifiable trends as obvious as those in Indiana and Connecticut. However, the strong evidence from these two states indicates the immense benefits of extreme risk protection orders.
In a nation divided over the notion of guns, extreme risk protection orders are scrutinized in every aspect.
The main argument against these laws is that if someone is exhibiting signs of suicidal tendencies, they should automatically be put into the mental health system, whether that be a hospital or therapy; their guns should not be temporarily taken away from them. While the reasoning behind the concept is understandable, the actual execution of such a policy is impossible with our current healthcare system. Not only are there restrictions on the involuntary treatment of adults, backed up by multiple court cases throughout the decades, the bottom line is that America’s mental health system is horrendous.
Mental health issues cannot be solved as if they were a simple addition problem; it takes time and grueling work. Having someone stay in a hospital for a week and medicating them does not eliminate the risk of them being a danger to themselves when a gun is waiting for them at home.
The only way for our country to implement extreme risk protection orders into law is if we speak up in support of it. Express your opinions online, in your community, and with your peers. Demonstrate to those who have power that you want change and you want it now.
Do it for your family. Do it for your friends.