Interest In ‘Red Flag’ Gun Laws Surged Since Mass Shooting, But Many Say They Would Help More To Prevent Suicides
Nearly 60 percent of the 38,658 gun deaths in the U.S. in 2016 were people taking their own lives, and advocates say "red flag" laws, which allow officials to seize weapons from people who may be a threat to themselves or others, can play a role in combating that trend.
The Associated Press:
Red Flag Laws May Prevent More Suicides Than Mass Shootings
Before her brother took his own life, Mary Miller-Strobel said she and her father begged every store in town that sold firearms to turn him away. “’If he comes, call me,’” Miller-Strobel said her dad pleaded while waving her brother’s picture at store managers in Charlotte, Michigan, in 2006. “’Just call me. I will come.’” She said the responses were the same: “’Second amendment, sorry.’” Two months later, her brother, Ben, shot himself with a revolver. (Yin, 4/12)
WBUR:
Mass. Lawmakers Once Again Take On NRA In Push To Pass 'Red Flag' Law
Although Massachusetts has some of the toughest gun control laws in the country, gun safety advocates want to make them even stricter. Following the Feb. 14 massacre in Parkland, Florida, Massachusetts is among a number of states considering so-called "red flag" bills. If approved, the law would let a court temporarily prohibit someone from possessing or buying a gun if they are judged to be a risk to themselves or to others. (Brooks, 4/13)
