From the Mayor's Office: "Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the launch of the Gun Violence Prevention Emergency Operations Center (EOC), as part of a new
Editor’s note:
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is at risk of self-harm, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24-hour support at 1-800-273-8255.
People at risk of self-harm could put their names on a “no gun” list to stop themselves from buying a firearm in the midst of a mental health crisis, under the provisions of a bill now moving through the Utah Legislature.
Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, who’s sponsoring the legislation, said the measure “isn’t going to save a lot of lives, but I believe that it will save some lives.” And it has won support from mental health and gun rights advocates alike, both of whom see it as a way to prevent suicide deaths in Utah without involuntarily stripping people of their firearms.
SALT LAKE CITY A Utah lawmaker wants to allow people experiencing a crisis to sign up for a list that would bar them from buying a gun from a retail store for a limited period of time.
Bill sponsor Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, emphasized HB267 is not a so-called red-flag law, a type of law that allows close family members to request law enforcement to remove guns from those considered at-risk.
He sees the bill instead impacting, for example, someone discharged from the hospital after a suicide attempt. While they re in a better state of mind, they can say, You know what, I m going to let a friend hold my firearms until I get feeling better, and I don t want to be able to, in a moment of weakness, purchase a firearm. So they could then put their name on that list, Eliason explained.
Brown helps reintroduce bill to fund gun violence research
Brown
WASHINGTON, D.C. As 2020 marked the deadliest year for gun violence in the last 20 years, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) to reintroduce the Gun Violence Prevention Research Act to fund research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on firearms safety and gun violence prevention.
The legislation would authorize $50 million in funding each fiscal year for the next five years at the CDC to study gun violence. According to the Gun Violence Archive, at least 43,495 people lost their lives due to gun violence in 2020 as firearms sales have surged during the coronavirus pandemic.
Feb 4, 2021 Press Release
Washington, DC – As 2020 marked the deadliest year for gun violence in the last 20 years, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today reintroduced the
Gun Violence Prevention Research Act to fund research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on firearms safety and gun violence prevention. The legislation would authorize $50 million in funding each fiscal year for the next five years at the CDC to study gun violence. According to the Gun Violence Archive, at least 43,495 people lost their lives due to gun violence in 2020 as firearms sales have surged during the coronavirus pandemic.