In the wake of several high-profile incidents of gun violence in the Twin Cities metro over the last several months, including the deadly mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota’s Extreme Risk Protection Order Act, informally known as a “red flag” law, has been quietly gaining more attention.
The law, which went into effect in January 2024, allows authorities to temporarily remove firearms from people who pose a threat to themselves or others, and also prevents them from purchasing firearms for a period.
Gretchen Damon, one of the leaders of the St. Paul chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, called Extreme Risk Protection Orders, or ERPOs, a “life-saving tool.” She and her fellow chapter members have been working tirelessly over the last several months to increase awareness of the law so that more Twin Cities residents know this option is available to them if they have a loved one in crisis who has access to firearms…