6 States Have Gun Violence Restraining Order Laws

Six states have laws allowing officials to take guns away from individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others. Florida recently passed a Gun Violence Restraining Order Act following the mass shooting at Parkland High School.[1] Similar laws, sometimes referred to as red flag laws, also exist in Connecticut, Indiana, California, Oregon, and Washington.[2]

Some believe these laws would have enabled police to take guns away from Nikolas Cruz before he murdered 17 students at Parkland. However, data shows that police forces are often slow to use their authority under the laws.[2]

Footnotes:

1. CNN, "Florida Gov. Rick Scott signs gun bill," March 9, 2018
2. Politico Magazine, "The Legal Way to Seize Guns From Dangerous People," March 13, 2018.

Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.​

Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read more reports from Scott Rasmussen — Click Here Now.