The inaugural Michigan Extreme Risk Protective Order (ERPO) Implementation Conference was held in Novi, MI last week, bringing together more than 150 public safety officials, court officials, community organization leaders, researchers and public health leaders to share experiences, explore practices and strengthen cross-sector partnerships.
Organized and hosted by the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention’s Michigan Firearm Law Implementation Program (M-FLIP), the full-day conference included multiple presentations on ERPO implementation, community responses to individuals at risk of firearm violence, ERPO and Personal Protection Order use in domestic violence cases and ERPO use in healthcare and clinical settings.
ERPOs, or red flag orders, are civil court orders that temporarily restrict people at risk of harming themselves or others from possessing or purchasing firearms. In Michigan, a petition may be filed by law enforcement, a family member, someone with whom the person has or had a dating relationship or child in common, a current or former household member or a healthcare provider.
“Research has shown that ERPOs are an effective tool in preventing firearm suicide and interpersonal violence, while providing court hearings and other due-process protections,” said April Zeoli, director of both M-FLIP and the Institute’s policy core and a professor of public health. “M-FLIP was developed to ensure these laws are effective by providing the empirical support behind them, offering free training and technical assistance and creating spaces for collaboration and information sharing.”
M-FLIP, launched in 2025, is designed to support Michigan communities in better understanding the state’s firearm safety laws enacted in 2024. The policies include new requirements for universal background checks through firearm purchaser licenses, secure storage, ERPOs and domestic violence firearm prohibitions.
Funded through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), M-FLIP team members provide implementation training and technical assistance for the evidence-based laws, the most significant firearm policy reform to be passed in 30 years.
“These laws are a significant step forward in the state’s efforts to prevent firearm-related injury and death,” said Pat Carter, director of the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention and professor of emergency medicine. “As a leading public research university, we have an immense responsibility to ensure our communities across Michigan have what they need to take these, and other, proven policies or strategies and put them into practice.”
Visit the M-FLIP website to learn more about Michigan’s firearm laws and how M-FLIP can provide free support to your organization or community.