First Month Of Red Flag Law Draws 114 Requests For Removing Guns
ANNAPOLIS (WJZ) — Just weeks ago, new legislation went into effect that can remove guns through protective orders from owners who may be a danger to themselves or others.
The first month of the "Red Flag Law" drew more than 100 requests, with most coming from family members and spouses.
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In just the last five months, Maryland has endured two mass shootings that rocked the entire state.
One at the Capital Gazette left five dead, and another in a Rite-Aid warehouse in Harford County left four dead.
In both shootings, police said there were obvious signs the suspects were battling mental illness.
Since then, Maryland's new red flag law went into effect, in an effort to remove guns from those who may be a danger to themselves or others, when reported by a relative, household residents or a health care provider.
Of the 114 requests for October, 61 interim orders and 70 temporary orders were granted by judges, according to our media partner the Baltimore Sun.
The orders require individuals to surrender firearms for several days until a final hearing.
Just this month, there was a deadly beginning to the law that was brand new, when Anne Arundel County Police attempted to enforce it in a Ferndale neighborhood.
That man met officers with a handgun and ended up being shot and killed.
"These are particularly dangerous because not only do we know there are weapons involved, we're also taking the weapons," said Jacklyn Davis, with AACO Police.
That incident alone, police say, is a sign that this law is long overdue.
According to our media partner the Baltimore Sun, the counties with the most red flag requests had experienced deadly mass shootings over the past year.
Both Anne Arundel County and Harford County each had 19 requests.
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