Protecting every member of Michigan Technological University’s community is top of mind for Reid DeVoge, deputy chief of Public Safety and Police Services.
So last year, following the loss of a member of the university community, DeVoge realized that Michigan’s recently implemented Extreme Risk Protection Order law, or ERPO, could be a useful tool in saving lives. More commonly known as red flag laws, they allow for the temporary, court-ordered removal of firearms from someone deemed a threat to themselves or others, and temporary prevention of firearm purchases.
The roadblock, however, was knowing exactly how to use the law—which allows for a court-ordered temporary removal of a firearm—and to feel comfortable using a law that comes with concerns over Second Amendment rights, especially for many residents of his Upper Peninsula community.
His curiosity and motivation to prevent future tragedies led DeVoge to start researching.
That led him to the University of Michigan and its Michigan Firearm Law Implementation Program, or M-FLIP. Based at the U-M Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, it provides free training across the state to law enforcement, health care organizations, schools, legal professionals, social workers, domestic violence and suicide prevention advocates, basically anyone concerned that a firearm could be used to take a life or lives.
“To say they were collaborative is an understatement,” DeVoge said. “They reached out immediately to discuss the particulars of our situation and to figure out what they could do to best serve our community.”
Read the full story on the Michigan News website:
Kim North Shine, March 27, 2026, Preventing tragedy: How communities can use extreme risk protection orders to save lives, Michigan News, https://news.umich.edu/preventing-tragedy-how-communities-can-use-extreme-risk-protection-orders-to-save-lives/