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Which states have Extreme Risk laws?

21 states have adopted this policy

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

Extreme Risk Law

Alabama has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Alaska has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Arizona has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Arkansas has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

California has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement, immediate family members, employers, coworkers, teachers, roommates, people with a child in common or who have a dating relationship

Extreme Risk Law

Colorado has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement, family/household members, certain medical professionals, and certain educators

Extreme Risk Law

Connecticut has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement, family/household members, and medical professionals

Extreme Risk Law

Delaware has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement and family members

Extreme Risk Law

Florida has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement only

Extreme Risk Law

Georgia has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Hawaii has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement, family/household members, medical professionals, educators, and colleagues

Extreme Risk Law

Idaho has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Illinois has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement and family members

Extreme Risk Law

Indiana has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement only

Extreme Risk Law

Iowa has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Kansas has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Kentucky has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Louisiana has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Maine has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Maryland has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement, family members, doctors, and mental health professionals

Extreme Risk Law

Massachusetts has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Family/household members, gun licensing authorities, certain law enforcement; certain health care providers; school principal/administrator

Extreme Risk Law

Michigan has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement, family/household members, certain health care providers

Extreme Risk Law

Minnesota has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement and family members

Extreme Risk Law

Mississippi has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Missouri has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Montana has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Nebraska has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Nevada has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement and family/household members

Extreme Risk Law

New Hampshire has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

New Jersey has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement and family/household members

Extreme Risk Law

New Mexico has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement only

Extreme Risk Law

New York has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement, district attorneys, family/household members, school administrators, certain medical professionals

Extreme Risk Law

North Carolina has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

North Dakota has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Ohio has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Oklahoma has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Oregon has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement and family/household members

Extreme Risk Law

Pennsylvania has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Rhode Island has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement only

Extreme Risk Law

South Carolina has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

South Dakota has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Tennessee has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Texas has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Utah has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Vermont has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
States attorneys and the Office of the Attorney General; family/household members

Extreme Risk Law

Virginia has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement and Commonwealth Attorneys

Extreme Risk Law

Washington has adopted this policy

Who may petition for an order?
Law enforcement and family/household members

Extreme Risk Law

West Virginia has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Wisconsin has not adopted this policy

Extreme Risk Law

Wyoming has not adopted this policy

What It Does

Extreme Risk laws allow for quick intervention when a person is at serious risk of harming themselves or others with a firearm. These laws enable law enforcement to ask for a court order that temporarily removes guns from these dangerous situations—and prohibits the person from buying new guns. The strongest policies allow family members to file petitions as well. A full discussion on Extreme Risk laws is here.

The Impact

A multistate study found that one suicide was averted for every 17 ERPOs issued, which translates to 269 lives saved. This study also found that when looking at only those cases in which the individual had demonstrated a threat of self-harm, for every 13 ERPOs issued, a suicide was averted.1Jeffrey W. Swanson et al., “Suicide Prevention Effects of Extreme Risk Protection Order Laws in Four States,” Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online 52, no. 3 (August 2024), https://jaapl.org/content/early/2024/08/27/JAAPL.240056-24. Research has also found that Extreme Risk laws are associated with reductions in state firearm suicide rates.2Aaron J. Kivisto and Peter Lee Phalen, “Effects of Risk-Based Firearm Seizure Laws in Connecticut and Indiana on Suicide Rates, 1981–2015,” Psychiatric Services 69, no. 8 (August 2018): 855–62, https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201700250.

Extreme Risk Law

Policy adopted? Who may petition for an order?
Alabama —
Alaska —
Arizona —
Arkansas —
California Law enforcement, immediate family members, employers, coworkers, teachers, roommates, people with a child in common or who have a dating relationship
Colorado Law enforcement, family/household members, certain medical professionals, and certain educators
Connecticut Law enforcement, family/household members, and medical professionals
Delaware Law enforcement and family members
Florida Law enforcement only
Georgia —
Hawaii Law enforcement, family/household members, medical professionals, educators, and colleagues
Idaho —
Illinois Law enforcement and family members
Indiana Law enforcement only
Iowa —
Kansas —
Kentucky —
Louisiana —
Maine —
Maryland Law enforcement, family members, doctors, and mental health professionals
Massachusetts Family/household members, gun licensing authorities, certain law enforcement; certain health care providers; school principal/administrator
Michigan Law enforcement, family/household members, certain health care providers
Minnesota Law enforcement and family members
Mississippi —
Missouri —
Montana —
Nebraska —
Nevada Law enforcement and family/household members
New Hampshire —
New Jersey Law enforcement and family/household members
New Mexico Law enforcement only
New York Law enforcement, district attorneys, family/household members, school administrators, certain medical professionals
North Carolina —
North Dakota —
Ohio —
Oklahoma —
Oregon Law enforcement and family/household members
Pennsylvania —
Rhode Island Law enforcement only
South Carolina —
South Dakota —
Tennessee —
Texas —
Utah —
Vermont States attorneys and the Office of the Attorney General; family/household members
Virginia Law enforcement and Commonwealth Attorneys
Washington Law enforcement and family/household members
West Virginia —
Wisconsin —
Wyoming —
Show Citations and Footnotes 
Source: Cal. Penal Code §§ 18100—18205; Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 13-14.5-101—13-14.5-114; Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-38c; Del. Code Ann. tit. 10, §§ 7701—7709; Fla. Stat. § 790.401; Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 134-61—134-72.; 430 Ill. Comp. Stat. §§ 67/1—67/85; Ind. Code §§ 35-47-14-1—35-47-14-13.; Md. Code Ann., Pub. Safety §§ 5-601—5-610.; Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 140, §§ 121, 131R-Z; Michigan Senate Bill 83 (2023); Minn. Stat. § 624.7171, et. seq.; Nev. Rev. Stat. §§ 33.500—33.670.; N.J. Stat. Ann. §§ 2C:58-20—2C:58-32; N.M. Stat. Ann. §§ 40-17-1, —40-17-13; N.Y. C.P.L.R. §§ 6340—6347; Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 166.525—166.543; 8 R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 8-8.3-1—8-8.3-14; Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 13, §§ 4051—4061; Va. Code Ann. §§ 19.2-152.13—19.2-152.17; RCW 7.105.

Suicides averted: Jeffrey W. Swanson et al., “Suicide Prevention Effects of Extreme Risk Protection Order Laws in Four States,” Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online 52, no. 3 (August 2024), https://jaapl.org/content/early/2024/08/27/JAAPL.240056-24.

State firearm suicide rates: Aaron J. Kivisto and Peter Lee Phalen, “Effects of Risk-Based Firearm Seizure Laws in Connecticut and Indiana on Suicide Rates, 1981–2015,” Psychiatric Services 69, no. 8 (August 2018): 855–62, https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201700250.

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