ERPO

On this day five years ago, nine lives were taken at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC. The mass shooting is a gruesome manifestation of the intersection of racism and gun violence. Sadly, both problems remain just as prevalent today as they were five years ago.

Extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) are designed to help keep guns out of the hands of people who are a threat to themselves or others. ERPOs allow families, household members, and law enforcement officers to petition courts to temporarily restrict an individual’s access to guns if the person is considered to be a threat.