On Saturday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced its launching of the “National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center.”

“The launch of the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center will provide our partners across the country with valuable resources to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

“The establishment of the Center is the latest example of the Justice Department’s work to use every tool provided by the landmark bipartisan Safer Communities Act to protect communities from gun violence,” he added.

“What the h*** is this evil? A Federal Red Flag center; We did not authorize this. Announced, of course, just hours after the omnibus passes,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) commented.

“Merrick Garland just announced a massive Red Flag Operation that the DOJ will be running by using EVERY spy tool the US government has in order to violate American’s Second Amendment!! This comes right after Johnson fully funded Biden’s weaponized DOJ!” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) said.

“This won’t apply to Hunter Biden, illegal aliens, or cartel members that Dems fight to arm. This is an attack on due process and ignores existing law that provides a way to adjudicate someone ineligible. All previous tragedies were preventable without removal of due process,” Dana Loesch commented.

“Hours after 101 House Republicans joined with Democrats to fund a new $200M headquarters for the FBI, the FBI announced they are creating a new national ‘red-flag’ gun control center to seize guns from American citizens,” Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) said.

“The timing of this is intentional. This is an UNAUTHORIZED attack on our 2nd Amendment,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) said.

“The Justice Department launched the National Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) Resource Center (the Center) which  will provide training and technical assistance to law enforcement officials, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service and social service providers, community organizations, and behavioral health professionals responsible for implementing laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of people who pose a threat to themselves or others,” the Department of Justice said in a press release.

From the Department of Justice:

ERPO laws, which are modeled off domestic violence protection orders, create a civil process allowing law enforcement, family members (in most states), and medical professionals or other groups (in some states) to petition a court to temporarily prohibit someone at risk of harming themselves or others from purchasing and possessing firearms for the duration of the order.

In 2023, the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) awarded $238 million to states, territories, and the District of Columbia under the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP), which was created by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and is designed to help jurisdictions implement crisis intervention strategies, including ERPO programs. In addition, OJP awarded $4 million to support training and technical assistance under Byrne SCIP, including $2 million that was awarded to the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions to establish the ERPO Resource Center. In collaboration with OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Center will support states, local governments, law enforcement, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service providers, and behavioral health and other social service providers in their efforts to implement ERPO programs to fit local needs, share resources and promising practices with the field, and help ensure that funding received through Byrne SCIP is effectively utilized.

“Supporting our law enforcement and community partners in curbing the scourge of gun violence is more critical than ever,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “In addition to other resources leveraged across the Justice Department, this Center will provide communities with new tools and technical assistance to help them implement effective crisis intervention strategies and reduce gun violence.”

“OJP’s investment in ERPO programs demonstrates the Department’s commitment to addressing the gun violence crisis in the United States,” said OJP Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon. “This crisis cannot be solved at one level of government. We must use all of our resources and collaborate at the federal, state, and local levels to find innovative, evidence-based, and holistic solutions to help keep American communities safe.”

 

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