Red Flag Laws & Gun Safety Education: Reducing Gun Violence

Red Flag Laws

• According to Joseph Blocher and Jacob D. Charles, legal professors at Duke University and Pepperdine Caruso Law School, respectively, “extreme risk laws provide a way for guns to be quickly and temporarily taken away from a person who does not necessarily fit into a prohibited class but is at risk of harming themselves or others.” Thus, this solution does not profile specific groups but collects information to ascertain individuals' ability to bear arms.

Implications

• Combining a national ERPO and a gun safety course can help reduce teen mortality rates and improve gun reform.

• The implementation of our solution will subsequently elicit a more knowledgeable understanding of gun violence, causing a decrease in school shootings.

• According to Cecilia Obeng, professor of linguistics at Indiana University, “With a majority of the teachers in favor of teaching gun safety in schools, a larger study should be conducted that explores the introduction of gun safety into the curriculum. Such a study should evaluate the efficiency of teaching gun safety as a measure to prevent gun violence and injuries involving guns.” The gun safety course will set a precedent for further education on guns, thus decreasing the number of people becoming victims or perpetrators of gun violence.

• Furthermore, according to Patrick Boyle (2022), Senior Staff Writer for the Association of American Medical Colleges, 80,000 people each year escape gun-related injuries; their combined medical expenses for treatment after the initial injury total $1 billion annually, with costs only going up as a result of complications.

• Thus, if this solution is successful, it should decrease medical bills and the number of victims suffering from gun-related injuries. The decrease in shootings caused by this solution will, in turn, create a safer environment in the education industry. Teachers, staff members, and students will be in a sheltered environment in school, thus promoting the academic achievements of students and reducing negative mental health issues due to the fear of school shootings.

Conclusion

• Because of underlying mental health illnesses, easy access to firearms, and the irreversible trauma caused by the misuse of firearms, we came to the conclusion that gun safety courses added to the ERPO will allow for further education on how to store, use, and obtain firearms safely. Court officials and law enforcement will be able to temporarily take away the right to bear arms when faced with persons who pose a danger to others or themselves. Although this solution doesn't allow for the evaluation of current gun owners, if they decide to purchase more firearms, this solution will be in effect.