An estimated one life was saved for every 17 times an extreme risk protection order removed guns from people who presented a risk of harming themselves or others, according to a Duke Health-led analysis of the laws in four states. Extreme risk protection orders—known as ERPOs or "red flag laws"—are civil court orders that temporarily prevent people from accessing firearms after a judge determines that they pose an imminent risk of harming themselves or others. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have enacted ERPO laws, mostly in recent years.
A growing body of evidence shows that this legal tool can save lives, while also respecting the rights of gun owners. The current study, appearing in the , was the largest study to date. "This analysis provides important information for making the case that ERPOs can save lives," said lead author Jeffrey Swanson, Ph.
D., professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine. "These laws do not affect private gun ownership rights for anyone who is not dangerous and is law abiding, and they are broadly supported by people across the political spectrum.
" Swanson and colleagues analyzed risk orders issued to 4,583 individuals in California, Connecticut, Maryland and Washington, and used death records to identify who among those with ERPOs had died of suicide, and by what method. The chances of surviving a vary widely depending on the method of intentional self-harm that is avail.