Media Contact: Patrick Wright -- Patrick.Wright@mail.house.gov
Washington, D.C. — Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. voted for the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2022 today. The bill, H.R. 2377, would allow officials to remove firearms and ammunition from individuals who are deemed an extreme risk to harm themselves or others. The bill permits family, household members and law enforcement officers to petition a federal court for the removal if the court considers the individuals a safety risk. If the petition is granted, the individuals involved must surrender their firearms and ammunition and they are prohibited from purchasing or possessing a firearm until the order expires and they pass a background check. Currently, there are 19 U.S. states, including New Jersey, and the District of Columbia that have extreme protection order laws and the bill encourages the other states to pass similar laws.
“We need to prevent people who are a public safety risk from having weapons,” said Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. “Many of the tragic and horrific mass shootings in our country could have been prevented if we had this law in place. Family members and friends knew certain individuals were a threat to harm themselves and others, but there was no process to report that and remove firearms from those people. This law puts that process in place. I hope the Senate passes it soon to get guns out of the hands of dangerous people.”
Original source can be found here.