Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Extreme Risk Protection Order Use: Lack of Process Leads to Abuse

Monday, February 3, 2020

Extreme Risk Protection Order Use: Lack of Process Leads to Abuse

New Jersey’s Extreme Risk Protection Order Act went into effect last September and NJ Advance Media has published an analysis of Orders issued since. The number of final orders issued may surprise readers: final orders account for less than half of the number of permanent orders issued. 

As of January 22nd, 186 temporary orders have been issued. NJ Advance media notes that number equals more than one such order per day. Judges denied 25 petitions for temporary orders. Once a temporary order is issued, the subject’s firearms are seized and a hearing is held within a set period of time to determine if a final order is issued. The subject of the ERPO has, at this hearing, their first opportunity to speak on his or her own behalf and to provide a defense.

Judges in New Jersey issued 88 final orders between September 1st and January 22nd, and denied 29 final orders. Eighty-eight final orders issued following 186 temporary orders. The status of the remaining cases was not clear.

But New Jersey is not alone in its ardent pursuit of Extreme Risk Protection Orders. From March 2018 through November 2019, the state of Florida granted 3,190 Temporary Ex Parte Risk Protection Orders (TRPO) after 2,833 TRPO hearings following 3,112 TRPO petitions filed. The data was provided by the Florida Courts.

To make that a little easier to read, the state of Florida issued more Temporary Ex Parte Risk Protection Orders than there were petitions for such orders filed or hearings for such orders held. That is an average of almost five ex parte orders issued per day in Florida over that time period. Florida’s population is about 2.4 times larger than New Jersey’s.

At the county level, Pinellas County in Florida issued 445 orders granting a TRPO but only held 341 TRPO hearings in the same time period. There were 448 petitions for a TRPO filed in that county. Manatee County, Florida, saw 57 TRPOs issued but just 31 hearings (and 59 petitions). Okaloosa County held 9 TRPO hearings but issued 23 Temporary Ex Parte Risk Protection Orders. In Sumter County, it was 31 orders and just two hearings.

This does not necessarily mean that law enforcement or the judiciary in either state is acting nefariously. The concern with red flag laws, or ERPOs, is that they will become a common practice, a lever used against anyone with whom one disagrees – or that they will become a commonly used tool in other judicial proceedings.

This is all more evidence for why NRA has repeatedly opposed laws that deprive law-abiding Americans of their civil rights without due process of law.

Gun control advocates have chosen Extreme Risk Protection Orders as a goal. Anti-gunners will happily sacrifice due process, which itself is often an afterthought in their anti-gun agenda – as is requiring treatment for those who need help.  The NRA is working across the country to ensure that due process rights are protected, that people can access the help they need, and that anti-gunners do not use ERPOs as a stepping stone to achieving their goal of an American population without the means to defend itself.

TRENDING NOW
Colorado: Mandatory Storage Bill Passes General Assembly and Semi-Auto Ban Temporarily Removed from Calendar

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Colorado: Mandatory Storage Bill Passes General Assembly and Semi-Auto Ban Temporarily Removed from Calendar

In a temporary reprieve for Colorado gun owners, the semi-auto ban HB24-1292 has been removed from the calendar. But we cannot let our guard down as gun control advocates can bring it up for a vote at ...

The U.S. Supreme Court Looks at Government “Blacklists”

News  

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

The U.S. Supreme Court Looks at Government “Blacklists”

Much of the attention this past week in the United States Supreme Court was the oral arguments in National Rifle Association of America v. Vullo, No. 22-842, a First Amendment case on whether government officials ...

25 years and one PLCAA Later, Chicago is Still Harassing Gunmakers

News  

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

25 years and one PLCAA Later, Chicago is Still Harassing Gunmakers

On March 19, the city of Chicago filed suit against handgun manufacturer Glock. Seeking to shift responsibility for the city’s woeful governance, Chicago’s lawsuit blames the popular firearm manufacturer for the third-party criminal misuse of ...

Washington: Governor Signs Anti-Gun Legislation

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Washington: Governor Signs Anti-Gun Legislation

Today, Governor Inslee signed five anti-gun bills into law that were recently passed by the Washington State Legislature. The bills include:

Colorado: Semi-Auto Ban Passes Committee and Sensitive Places Bill Hearing Rescheduled for Today!

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Colorado: Semi-Auto Ban Passes Committee and Sensitive Places Bill Hearing Rescheduled for Today!

Yesterday the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on House Bill 24-1292, the semi-auto ban, that lasted over 12 hours where hundreds of patriotic Coloradans overloaded the committee with opposition testimony. The hearing concluded with an ...

NRA Files Amicus Brief Asking Supreme Court to Hear Antonyuk v. James

News  

Second Amendment  

Monday, March 25, 2024

NRA Files Amicus Brief Asking Supreme Court to Hear Antonyuk v. James

In response to the NRA’s victory in Bruen, which secured every American’s right to carry arms, NY passed the “Concealed Carry Improvement Act,” severely restricting carry throughout the state. The 2nd Circuit upheld many of ...

Pennsylvania: Senate Committee Passes Full Inclusion Sunday Hunting

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Pennsylvania: Senate Committee Passes Full Inclusion Sunday Hunting

On Wednesday, the Senate Game & Fisheries Committee voted 7-4 to pass Senate Bill 67 to the Senate floor for a vote. 

California: DOJ Proposes Emergency Rule that Reauthorizes NRA Instructors

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

California: DOJ Proposes Emergency Rule that Reauthorizes NRA Instructors

On Monday, March 25th, the California Department of Justice published an emergency rulemaking package proposing to amend the Carry Concealed Weapons DOJ Certified Instructors regulations. Under the proposed rulemaking, NRA Certified Instructors would once again ...

Grassroots Spotlight: Michigan Grassroots

Take Action  

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Grassroots Spotlight: Michigan Grassroots

It's been a busy start to the year in the Wolverine State, as the Michigan NRA-ILA Grassroots Team has been out alerting and educating members and supporters on the critical changes in gun laws and working to stop ...

Kentucky: Credit Card Data Privacy Bill Passed Into Law

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Kentucky: Credit Card Data Privacy Bill Passed Into Law

Today, Governor Andy Beshear let HB 357, the Merchant Category Code ban legislation pass into law without his signature. Your NRA would like to thank Representatives Derek Lewis (R, H-90), Michael Meredith (R, H-19), and Senator ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.