Carson City, NV – Today, Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford announced that the state’s Interim Finance Committee approved $400,000 to train law enforcement agencies about the state’s “red flag” law and to offer grants to organizations that provide resources to families looking to help family members in crisis. These grants are meant to provide organizations with the information necessary to teach concerned family members about the options available if they notice signs that their loved ones may not be able to safely possess a firearm.

“Our state’s ‘red flag’ law is a powerful tool that can help curb gun violence in our state,” said AG Ford. “The money approved today by the Interim Finance Committee will go toward ensuring our law enforcement officers have the tools they can use to keep people safe and will help spread this information to Nevadans concerned about their family members.”

In 2019, the Legislature passed Assembly Bill 291, which allowed family members or law enforcement to request an order to temporarily remove guns from a person who is engaging in violent behavior or making threats of violence. Laws like these, known commonly as “red flag” laws, are meant to allow law enforcement to intervene in situations before tragedies happen.

The rate that these orders have used in Nevada is low, however. According to the Nevada Independent, only 13 extreme risk protection orders were issued between January 2020 and July 2022. In a 2020 study, the RAND Corporation found that most states with “red flag” laws on issue between 50 and 100 orders a year. It is important to train law enforcement and make Nevada families aware of this crucial tool, which can help stop shootings before they start.

These laws can be powerful tools to stop crimes such as mass shooting and domestic violence and tragedies such as suicide. Mass shooters often display between four and five different types of concerning behaviors in the lead up to their attacks, and in 41% of cases, these behaviors were reported to law enforcement. Some of the extreme risk protection orders enacted in Nevada were in regard to a person threatening a mass shooting.

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