Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Applaud Connecticut House of Representatives for Voting to Strengthen the State’s Extreme Risk Law

The Connecticut chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement after the House of Representatives voted to pass HB 6355, which would strengthen Connecticut’s existing extreme risk law to maximize it’s life-saving impact by allowing family members to directly ask the court to issue an Extreme Risk Protection Order when a loved one exhibits signs of posing a risk to themself or others.

“This bill would make our already strong extreme risk law more accessible and effective,” said Kate Martin, a volunteer with the Connecticut chapter of Moms Demand Action. “No one knows better than family members when a loved one poses a risk to themselves or others, and this expansion would save countless lives from preventable gun violence like gun suicides and mass shootings. We are grateful that our lawmakers continue to stand with us on the forefront in the fight against gun violence.”

Every year hundreds of people are shot and killed or wounded in Connecticut. Gun violence costs Connecticut $1.4 billion each year, of which $60.4 million is paid by taxpayers. Read about gun violence in Connecticut here.