The Department of Justice announced on Saturday that it has launched the “National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center” in an attempt to combat gun violence.
This center will provide comprehensive training and support to law enforcement officials, prosecutors, judges, behavioral health professionals, and other stakeholders in implementing laws designed to prevent individuals who “pose a threat” from accessing firearms. These laws, commonly referred to as “red flag laws,” enable authorities to remove firearms from the hands of people deemed dangerous and suspected to be a threat to others or themselves.
“The launch of the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center will provide our partners across the country with valuable resources to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The establishment of the Center is the latest example of the Justice Department’s work to use every tool provided by the landmark Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to protect communities from gun violence.”
Funding for the center is derived from a Department of Justice grant approved as part of a gun control bill signed into law by President Biden in 2022. Vice President Kamala Harris