In 2018, Maryland enacted a law that enables certain individuals to petition a court to remove guns from a person in crisis. The law, called an extreme risk protective order (also known as extreme risk protection order or ERPO laws), allows a law enforcement officer, family member, dating partner, mental health professional, or health officer to file a petition demonstrating to a judge that an individual poses a danger to himself, herself, or others.1 If the court determines that the petitioner has met the standard of proof, it will issue an order that lasts up to one year. An individual subject to an ERPO must relinquish his or her guns to law enforcement.
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- Md. Code Ann., Pub. Safety § 5-601 et seq., as added by Md. H.B. 1302 (2018).[↩]