Press Releases

Today, Rep. Salud Carbajal released the following statement ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, which will be marked tomorrow, on Saturday, April 20^th:

“Since 12 people were senselessly murdered at Columbine High School 20 years ago, more than 226,000 American students have experienced gun violence while in school. No student should feel unsafe in their classroom; and no parent should send their child to school in the morning wondering if they will return home safely.

“This solemn anniversary underscores the need for states to pass extreme risk laws that give law enforcement officers the tools they need to temporarily disarm those who threaten to kill themselves or others. Congress must take action to encourage more states to follow California’s lead in implementing extreme risk laws – these laws maintain due process and can save lives.”

Background:

In February, Carbajal introduced H.R. 1236, the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act. The bipartisan bill encourages states to allow family members or law enforcement officials to petition a judge to temporarily remove firearms from an individual in crisis.

Through establishing a new grant program, the bill would help ensure that law enforcement or family members can seek an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) from the courts, to temporarily stop someone who poses an immediate threat to themselves or others from purchasing or possessing a gun. States that adopt these preventative measures would be eligible to receive federal funding under the grant program to help pay for the implementation and processing.

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced the companion Extreme Risk Protection Order Act in the Senate.

Last Friday, Colorado became the latest state to enact an extreme risk law that would allow guns to be temporarily seized from people deemed to be dangerous to themselves or others. 15 states have passed extreme risk laws, and they have been proposed in 23 additional state legislatures.

###