Stafstrom Hails Passage Of Bill Updating State's Red Flag Law

Press release from CGA:

May 17, 2021

On Wednesday, the Connecticut House of Representatives voted to pass the first major legislative update to Connecticut's "Red Flag" law, otherwise known as the Risk Warrant or Risk Protection Order statute.

"While Connecticut's "Red Flag" law was groundbreaking, we know there are clear vulnerabilities in the existing statute," said State Representative Steve Stafstrom (D – Bridgeport), House Chair of the Judiciary Committee and introduced the concept. "The bill that was on the table today bolsters our state's statute and corrects technical loopholes to better protect individuals, families, and our communities. If this new process allows for an extra 10, 20, 30, 40 risk warrants a year to be investigated, those are lives we are saving. I am pleased to have the House's support."

Since the bill's enactment in 1999 in the wake of a mass shooting at the Connecticut Lottery, 19 states and the District of Columbia have passed comprehensive and proactive legislation that go further than Connecticut's statute to protect residents from gun violence. The bill the Connecticut House voted on includes best practices from across the nation to strengthen its statute.

The proposal, House Bill 6355, An Act Concerning Risk Protection Orders or Warrants and the Effect of the Issuance of a Physician's Emergency Certificate on a Person's Ability to Possess Firearms, allows family or household members, as well as certain medical professionals to petition for a Risk Warrant or Risk Protection Order. Currently, police officers or the state's attorney may petition a state court to order the temporary removal of firearms from an individual who may pose as a danger to themselves or others.

The proposal would also expand the existing statute to ensure individuals whose firearms are removed cannot acquire additional firearms or ammunition and creates a provision to bar an individual from purchasing firearms when they are otherwise lawfully able to do so. The bill also removes the expiration date of the Risk Warrant and requires individuals to apply to have the order revoked.

According to a study from Duke University, Connecticut's "Red Flag" law was found to have prevented approximately 78 suicides between 1999 and 2013. Additionally, the study found that for every 10 to 20 warrants issued, at least one life was saved.

The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

This press release was produced by CGA. The views expressed here are the author's own.