Family and Household Members

The Facts about ERPOs and How Families Can Help

48,830 people died from firearm-related injuries in 2021, equivalent to a death roughly every 11 minutes. 54% of these deaths were suicides. Reducing firearm injuries is an important task for the country, including family members. For example, a study in 2022 found that 79% of children and 43% of youth ages 18 to 20 used a family member’s guns to die by suicide. Extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) are one option intimate partners and families can take to reduce firearm injuries.

ERPOs help prevent firearm violence through temporarily prohibiting purchase and possession of firearms by individuals at high risk of harming themselves or others. A study on Indiana’s ERPO law found for every 10-20 ERPOs issued, a suicide was prevented, and in Connecticut the ERPO law was associated with a 13.7% reduction in firearm suicides. 

Household and family members, including intimate partners, can file for an ERPO against a family member in California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington. If you live in a state where ERPOs are available but family and household members cannot file an ERPO, you can contact law enforcement to make the petition.