Extreme Risk Protection Orders to Reduce Firearm Violence.

Abstract

Many states have adopted risk-based, preemptive gun removal laws to reduce gun violence. In this column, the authors describe the general structure of these laws, consider arguments for and against them, and briefly review the evidence regarding their impact. As psychiatrists in a state that recently implemented such a law, the authors consider the possible impact of the law on their practice and the well-being of their patients and the public, including the possibility that they and other Oregon psychiatrists could be held liable for failing to address the topic of gun seizure with a patient's family.