New gun control bill named after Joe Biden’s son shows momentum is building post-Parkland

At least three states with Republicans governors have passed gun control measures since the Parkland shooting

Protests in New York City during the March for our Lives demonstrations in March (Reuters)

New gun control measure have been passed in two US states that will allow police to temporarily seize firearms from people deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.

The bills — in Delaware and Maryland — are just the latest in a string of efforts in at least a dozen states to create safer gun policies following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February, and gun control activists say the movement to pass these sorts of bills shows that the efforts are continuing to gain momentum.

“I think we’re going to see more action on [these types of bills]. I think this momentum is going to continue to grow and it’s going to be part of the discussion this election season,” Andrew Patrick, the media director for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, told The Independent of gun violence restraining orders, which enable police and family members to get court orders to take firearms away from people considered to be a danger to themselves or others.

At least three Republican governors — including Maryland Governor Larry Hogan — have now signed gun violence restraining orders since that school shooting in Parkland, Florida. That includes one in Florida and one in Vermont, both of which are traditionally known as states with few if any gun control laws on the books.

The bill in Delaware — which is named after former Vice President Joe Biden’s late son, Beau — has not yet been signed into law, but was sent to the office of Democratic Governor John Carney’s office Tuesday.

“I personally think it's a really, really important piece of legislation,” Mr Carney said Tuesday. “So many of the incidents of gun violence involve folks with mental health issues, and this is a way of adding to the list prohibitions for possession and purchase of firearms.”

The Giffords Law Centre to Prevent Gun Violence — a gun control advocacy group named after former Representative Gabby Giffords, who was shot in 2011 during a constituent meeting — says that there have been 18 laws or measures passed in 12 states since the Florida shooting on Valentine’s Day.

“Since the horrific tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February, we’ve seen state legislatures across the country respond to the demands of everyday Americans to take action to save lives from gun violence,”Allison Anderman, managing attorney with the Giffords Law Centre, said in a statement last week.

“They have done so even as the gun lobby has mounted a furious campaign to weaken our gun laws,” Ms Anderman continued. “But lawmakers understand that inaction in the wake of tragedy is no longer acceptable, and because of that, more Americans in all areas of the country will be better protected from gun violence. This momentum will only grow stronger as we continue to call for our leaders to stand up and protect their communities from the deadly threat of gun violence.”

Studies show that the extreme risk protection orders save lives, and that about 42 per cent of mass shooters in America exhibit risks that could have raised alarms among family and friends of the shooter, who could have used these laws to ensure that the shooter did not have the gun they eventually used to murder people. An estimated one life has been saved in Connecticut for every 10 to 20 risk warrants issued between 1999 and 2013, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

“The passage of this law, which will ensure that law enforcement can take action to remove guns from someone who is at risk, shows continued momentum for commonsense gun safety measures throughout the country,” Kris Brown, the Brady Campaign’s co-president, said in a statement provided to The Independent. “States that have enacted laws like this have seen reductions in suicide and related incidents of violence, and they are manifestly in the public interest.“

Mr Patrick says that the movement now on these issues is likely the result of the fact the United States endured three major mass shootings — in Las Vegas, in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and in Parkland — in a six month period, and that quick succession may have pushed the needle on the debate a bit.

He noted that the level support at the state level — especially bipartisan support — seen lately eventually reach Washington, and that voters will play a large part in that calculus.

“These social movements are a marathon not a spring,” Mr Patrick said. “We recognise that, and we’re starting to see a real tipping point that happened in Parkland that is tuning these issues into the minds of voters, and that is where you’ll see change come from.”