Hawaii’s Red Flag Law Just Went Into Effect. Here’s What to Know.

On Wednesday, Hawaii joined a list of 17 states, along with Washington D.C., that have enacted a red flag law, after the bill was signed by Gov. David Ige in June. Hawaii’s Gun Violence Protective Order law, also known as an Extreme Risk law, is designed to help law enforcement and concerned family members intervene quickly in dangerous situations. 

• Under Hawaii’s red flag law, family and household members and law enforcement officers are among those who may petition a court for a Gun Violence Protective Order, temporarily removing guns from a person in crisis. Hawaii is one of 12 states that have passed a red flag law since the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida.
• Red flag laws help save lives by creating a way to act before warning signs escalate into tragedies. Interventions in states with red flag laws have already been shown to prevent potential tragedies, such as mass shootings, shootings on school grounds, and firearm suicides. Learn more about red flag laws here.
  
• Red flag laws have been shown to be an effective tool in reducing the risk of firearm suicide. According to EveryStat, 48 people die by guns in Hawaii in an average year and 72 percent of gun deaths are suicides. In a moment of crisis, access to a gun can be the difference between life and death: 85 percent of suicide attempts using a gun end in death, compared to less than 5 percent of suicide attempts that do not involve a firearm. Learn more about the One Thing You Can Do public awareness campaign here, and explore EveryStat, a one-stop-shop for gun violence statistics on the local, state, and national levels, here. 

If you have any questions on red flag laws or would like to speak with a volunteer with the Hawaii chapter of Moms Demand Action, please don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected].