Prepare and E-File the court case for Extreme Risk Orders to temporarily ban an unstable person from having firearms

This website provides an online guided experience for you to prepare the case documents for every state that supports the Extreme Risk Protection Orders.

The legal definition of order varies state to state but nearly all of them are centered around a core idea: temporarily ban guns from a mentally disturbed person. 

You can also use this website just to explore e.g. whether the person you're thinking about would even qualify for an extreme risk orders, and the court process. So exploring the paperwork without filing with the court is also helpful if you're just learning about the process and your options.

Select Your State

As of early 2024, there are about 22 states which offer Extreme Risk Orders

  • CaliforniaFlag

    California

  • Flag_of_Colorado.svg

    Colorado

  • Flag_of_Connecticut.svg

    Connecticut

  • Flag_of_the_District_of_Columbia.svg

    District of Columbia

  • Flag_of_Delaware.svg

    Delaware

  • Flag_of_Florida_(1900–1985).svg

    Florida

  • Flag_of_Hawaii.svg

    Hawaii

  • Flag_of_Indiana.svg

    Indiana

  • Flag_of_Illinois.svg

    Illinois

  • Flag_of_Maryland.svg

    Maryland

  • Flag_of_Massachusetts.svg

    Massachusetts

  • Flag_of_Michigan

    Michigan

  • Flag_of_Colorado.svg

    Minnesota

  • Flag_of_Nevada.svg

    Nevada

  • Flag_of_New_Jersey

    New Jersey

  • Flag_of_New_Mexico.svg

    New Mexico

  • new-york-flag-usa-flag-co--2_800x

    New York

  • Flag_of_Oregon.svg

    Oregon

  • Flag_of_Rhode_Island.svg

    Rhode Island

  • Flag_of_Vermont.svg

    Vermont

  • Flag_of_Virginia

    Virginia

  • Flag_of_Washington.svg

    Washington

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Process Overview

Courts in every state have a well defined set of forms and steps for granting an Extreme Risk Protection Order.  This website makes that process simpler by leading you through a series of online questionnaires and then at the end generates the paperwork. You can also E-file in almost all locations. 

HOW THIS WEBSITE WORKS

This website provides a guided experience to people who are working themselves on preparing the court forms for a Domestic Violence Restraining Order.

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1. Take Screening

Select the specific protection order you want to file for. Then answer a few questions to determine your eligibility.

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2. Prepare Documents

Prepare the main set of your court documents by covering one topic at a time. Each topic offers questions in simple and non-legal language. Just do your best and in case you need help you can get reach out for help just with a few clicks.

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3. Consult Advocate (Optional)

Depending on your situation, we can suggest any trusted free victim advocacy non profits. The advocate can assist you with certain aspects of the case and safety planning. They can review your case documents, and talk to you directly to discuss your case.

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4. Submit to Court

Submit the paperwork to begin the legal process. You can do online depending on your local court or by printing and visiting the court in person.

FAQs

Do Extreme Risk Orders Help?

Here the outcome of a research on extreme risk

Reduce Violence

1. Cut Suicide Risk

Suicides risk is cut by 10% when firearms were removed from high risk persons under Connecticut’s Extreme Risk law.

Swanson J. and et al. “Implementation and Effectiveness of Connecticut’s Risk-Based Gun Removal Law: Does it Prevent Suicides?”Law and Contemporary Problems. (2017). https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/lcp/vol80/iss2/8

Cost Effective

2. Prevent Mass Shootings

In about a third of all mass shootings, the murderer gave away signs of instability before the shooting. Source: Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, “Mass Shootings in the United States,” March 2023, https://everytownresearch.org/mass-shooting-report/

Countryside

3. Cities vs. Countryside

In all incidents of targeted school violence—100 percent— the perpetrator displayed suspicious behavior which was observed by others.

National Threat Assessment Center, “Protecting America’s Schools: A US Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence,” US Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security, 2019, https://bit.ly/2U7vnwa.