Reps. Russo, Smith reintroduce Extreme Risk Protection Order bill

State Reps. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) and Monique Smith (D-Fairview Park) today announced the introduction of House Bill (HB) 257, or the “Extreme Risk Protection Orders Act.”  Introduced as HB 316 in the 133rd General Assembly, the bill would allow family members, household members or law enforcement officers to petition the court for an order temporarily preventing individuals considered to be an imminent danger to themselves or others from possessing firearms.

“In many instances of gun violence, there were clear warning signs that the shooter posed a serious risk of using firearms to harm themselves or others,” said Rep. Russo. “Extreme risk protection orders save lives by providing a clear process for intervention and giving families and law enforcement time to quickly intervene before those warning signs escalate into tragedies, while also respecting Second Amendment and due process rights.”

“We know that extreme risk protection orders keep dangerous weapons away from people who threaten to hurt themselves or others. Other states use extreme risk protection orders, and they work. Ohio legislators can use this proven tool to save lives and protect our communities, too,” said Rep. Smith. “We can’t afford to wait any longer to take action against gun violence. This legislation would allow us to heed serious warning signs and prevent another school shooting, workplace shooting or domestic shooting in Ohio. Enough is enough. Let’s finally ‘do something’ to prevent gun violence in Ohio. Our constituents expect and deserve it.”

So far, nineteen states and the District of Columbia have extreme-risk protection, or “red flag,” laws, including Connecticut, Florida, Indiana and Illinois.

HB 257 now awaits referral to an Ohio House committee.