Extreme Risk Laws Education FAQ
What are extreme risk laws?
Extreme risk laws (also known as "red flag laws") currently exist in 22 states and DC. They make life-saving tools such as Extreme Risk Protection Orders and Firearm Restraining Orders available, which can temporarily restrict access to firearms for individuals at risk of harming themselves or others.
These civil orders give those in crisis time to seek professional help and heal. Petitions for Extreme Risk Protection Orders are heard in civil, not criminal, courts. The at-risk individual can attend and have an opportunity to be heard as part of the evidence presented to ensure due process.
Who is the target audience for the Extreme Risk Laws Education campaign?
The target audience for this campaign are adults 18+ who are in the inner circle of a gun owner in crisis in the states where our campaign is active (currently: Illinois).
Those close to someone in crisis can recognize the signs of crisis and seek more information on intervention options, including Extreme Risk Protection Orders.
Why is this Extreme Risk Laws Education campaign important?
In any crisis, time is precious. Individuals experiencing moments of crisis need time to think things over and seek help. But bullets move faster than people heal. When an individual is saying or doing things that suggest they intend to harm themselves or others, having access to a firearm can rob them in an instant of the time they need to heal.
The goal of the Extreme Risk Laws Education campaign is to ensure the safety of the individual and those around them by pressing pause on a potentially deadly situation. This creates safer circumstances for the individual to stabilize their behavior, seek treatment if needed, or access resources to address the underlying causes of their potentially dangerous behavior.
Are extreme risk laws effective?
Extreme risk laws are relatively new in many states, but research in states with longstanding laws indicate the laws and their associated intervention orders can be effective at preventing firearm injuries and deaths.
Research in Connecticut—the state with the longest standing extreme risk law—has shown that at least one life was saved from firearm suicide for every 10 to 20 orders issued. Additional research of California's law found that approximately 13% of issued orders prevented a potential mass shooting.
How do I get copies and access the public service announcements for the campaign?
All PSAs are available for preview and can be accessed by media supporters on our site.
To download our PSAs, you will be required to sign up for assets here and create a new username and password. You can browse and preview our PSAs by using our enhanced search functionality, including faceted search with new filter options. You can search by "Campaign", "Asset" and/or "Media Type." You can also use the advanced search or keyword search for more options. Once you find the PSAs you are interested in and you are ready to download you will be required to sign in using your username and password.
AdCouncil.org Features Include:
- TV, Radio, Online/Mobile, Print & Out Of Home formats available - including broadcast quality HD + SD TV spots
- Enhanced search functionality, including faceted search with new filter options
- Cart feature with options to download PSAs from cart, email PSAs from cart, or save PSAs to your FTP server
- Once you access these files, you can use them for educational purposes or in donated media space and time. We would appreciate your help in encouraging media stations or websites to donate space for these ads. To help you with that process, we have some support materials available in the toolkit.
Please note: expired PSAs are NOT available for broadcast.