Blumenthal & Feinstein Urge Biden Administration to Consider Executive Action Expanding the Use of Extreme Risk Protection Orders

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) wrote President Joe Biden asking him to consider executive action to promote and strengthen existing state statutes that authorize courts to issue Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs).

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have already enacted ERPO laws – including Connecticut, California, and Florida, which passed its statute after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School in Parkland. “ERPO laws can empower family members, key community members, and law enforcement to take action in response to such warnings, stopping needless violence and senseless deaths,” the senators wrote. Blumenthal and Feinstein specifically noted the impact ERPO laws can have on preventing firearm suicides, which claim more than 23,000 deaths every year, in addition to protecting against mass shootings and countering terrorist threats and hate crimes.

“We now urge you to take the important step of directing federal departments and agencies to partner with state and local governments, law enforcement, and community organizations to raise awareness of, use, and strengthen existing ERPO laws to counter imminent threats,” the senators urged President Biden.

“For states that have enacted ERPO statutes, the Department of Justice (DOJ) can strengthen those existing ERPO protections by issuing best practices guidance, offering technical assistance on ERPO implementation and enforcement, providing training for law enforcement and judges, and supporting data collection and analysis on ERPOs granted by state courts. The DOJ can also provide guidance and information to the 31 states and other jurisdictions that do not currently have ERPO laws, and who may seek to adopt them.”

“In addition to the steps DOJ can take, the Department of Education can work with schools to educate teachers, parents and guardians, and students about existing ERPO laws in their states and partner with DOJ to build ERPO implementation into school safety plans, policies, and procedures. The Department of Veterans Affairs can raise awareness about ERPOs as a suicide prevention tool among and for the veterans they serve. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration can ensure that crisis centers in jurisdictions with ERPO laws are equipped to support and implement ERPO laws.”

The full text of the letter is available here.

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