Joyce David B, Swanson Jeffrey W
Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Duke University.
Milbank Q. 2025 Aug 1. doi: 10.1111/1468-0009.70035.
Policy Points Risk-based firearm removal laws are an effective policy tool to reduce firearm-related suicides. Unlike 21 other states with such laws, Maine's firearm removal statute applies only to persons who have been detained by law enforcement in a short-term mental health hold, and it requires an assessment for dangerousness by a medical provider. Maine's approach illuminates barriers to implementation and use of risk-based firearm removal policies. Legislative changes are necessary to bring Maine's program in line with 21 other states for which evidence shows that risk-based firearm removal laws can save lives.
Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) are an effective legal tool for reducing firearm suicide by temporarily removing access to firearms for certain individuals who exhibit dangerous behavior. Unlike most state laws restricting access to firearms based on status, ERPOs are predicated on the assessment of future risk of harm to self or other, as determined by civil court file finding. Emerging research indicates that separating those in crisis from lethal means reduces firearm mortality. We assess Maine's unique approach and consider whether it is a replicable policy option for other states or should be modified to comport with other states' more broadly applicable model.
We conducted semistructured interviews with stakeholders in Maine and in three comparison states-Connecticut, Maryland, and Vermont. Interviewees included law enforcement officers, prosecutors, mental health practitioners, medical practitioners, and educational leaders and researchers. We utilized qualitative analysis software and grouped results into themes, concepts, and recommendations that addressed implementation barriers and facilitators.
Maine's statutory approach to risk-based firearm removal provides an opportunity for comparison with other ERPO states. Maine's requirement that a person be deemed mentally ill excludes other dangerous people from involuntary firearm seizure. Additionally, Maine's mandated provider evaluation promotes tension between law enforcement and the medical community, as many providers are disinclined to perform the required evaluations. Maine's efforts to separate those at risk of self-harm or harm to others could be improved through adoption of more traditional ERPO policies.
No policy alone can eliminate gun violence in the United States. However, many lives can be saved by a state law that authorizes time-limited, civil court-ordered removal of firearms. Maine's narrower version, a risk-based firearm removal law, could be amended to comport with other states' ERPO laws, which have been shown to prevent many suicides.
基于风险的枪支收缴法律是减少与枪支相关自杀行为的有效政策工具。与其他21个有此类法律的州不同，缅因州的枪支收缴法规仅适用于因短期心理健康问题被执法部门拘留的人员，并且要求医疗服务提供者进行危险性评估。缅因州的做法揭示了基于风险的枪支收缴政策在实施和应用方面的障碍。有必要进行立法变革，使缅因州的方案与其他21个州保持一致，有证据表明基于风险的枪支收缴法律可以挽救生命。
极端风险保护令（ERPOs）是一种有效的法律工具，通过暂时剥夺某些表现出危险行为的个人的枪支使用权来减少枪支自杀。与大多数基于身份限制枪支获取的州法律不同，极端风险保护令基于民事法庭档案认定所确定的对自身或他人未来伤害风险的评估。新出现的研究表明，将处于危机中的人与致命手段隔离开来可降低枪支死亡率。我们评估缅因州独特的做法，并考虑它是否是其他州可复制的政策选项，或者是否应进行修改以符合其他州更广泛适用的模式。
我们对缅因州以及三个对比州——康涅狄格州、马里兰州和佛蒙特州的利益相关者进行了半结构化访谈。受访者包括执法人员、检察官、心理健康从业者、医疗从业者以及教育领导者和研究人员。我们使用定性分析软件，并将结果归纳为涉及实施障碍和促进因素的主题、概念和建议。
缅因州基于风险的枪支收缴法定方法提供了与其他极端风险保护令州进行比较的机会。缅因州要求个人被认定患有精神疾病，这将其他危险人员排除在非自愿枪支扣押范围之外。此外，缅因州规定的提供者评估加剧了执法部门与医疗界之间的紧张关系，因为许多提供者不愿意进行所需的评估。通过采用更传统的极端风险保护令政策，缅因州将有自我伤害或伤害他人风险的人隔离开来的努力可以得到改善。
没有一项政策能单独消除美国的枪支暴力。然而，一项授权民事法庭下令限时收缴枪支的州法律可以挽救许多生命。缅因州范围较窄的基于风险的枪支收缴法律可以进行修改，以符合其他州的极端风险保护令法律，这些法律已被证明可预防许多自杀行为。
