Gun-seizure laws often have bipartisan support. But do they stop mass shootings? - NBC News

DeWine first mentioned a proposal for "safety protection orders" in April, but highlighted it Tuesday as part of a range of proposals to reduce gun violence and improve mental health care.“These orders, which will be granted upon clear and convincing evidence, would allow the removal of firearms from potentially dangerous individuals and get them the mental health treatment that they need, get them whatever help that they need,” DeWine said.Red flag laws are the rare measures that people from either side of the gun debate seem to find palatable.President Donald Trump and members of both parties in the Senate have expressed support for such laws; one Senate proposal would fund efforts to take guns from and help people deemed at risk of violence.Gun-violence and public-health researchers generally support them as well. But the impact of red flag laws on homicides and mass shootings remains unclear.Despite the limited research, it makes sense to enact red flag laws, researchers say.George Parker, an Indiana University professor who studies the impact of firearm seizure laws, said that from a public health perspective, eliminating the risk of gun deaths requires one of two things: removing guns from homes completely ─ which is unrealistic ─ or seeking “secondary prevention” methods that decrease the chances that guns will be used to kill people.