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Gun seizures more likely under Colorado's Red Flag if law enforcement is involved

Red flag applications are approved 95% of the time if police step in. If Coloradans file on their own, the approval rate dips to 32%.

Zack Newman, Kevin Vaughan

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Published: 5:58 PM MDT May 25, 2022
Updated: 9:43 PM MDT May 25, 2022

Colorado’s 2-year-old “red flag” law gives police officers and average citizens alike the power to seek the removal of guns from people they believe are dangerous – but a 9Wants to Know investigation found the chances that will actually happen depend largely on who’s asking.

The law took effect on Jan. 1, 2020, and it gives judges the power to issue what’s known as an “extreme risk protection order” if there’s compelling evidence that an individual poses a danger, either to themself or others. In those cases, the gun owner is required to surrender their weapons for 14 days, and the order can be extended to 364 days.

The goal of the law is simple: to temporarily remove guns from someone in crisis who hasn’t broken the law.

Credit: KUSA

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