Too many cities and locations are forever known for being places where mass shootings occurred. I know this because my hometown of Pittsburgh is now one of them. In an effort to counteract the epidemic of gun violence, cities and local governments are attempting to enact laws to make their communities safer until states and the federal government step up.
The recent article, “Isle gun group aims to sue over ‘red flag’ law” (Star-Advertiser, April 28), unfortunately sounded similar to what’s currently happened in Pittsburgh and throughout the U.S. Threats of lawsuits are being brought forth to coerce local and state governments from passing common-sense gun laws.
Red flag laws, often called Extreme Risk Protection Order laws (ERPO), identify potentially violent individuals who also have guns. The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence reports that 14 states now have red flag laws and 23 states have proposed them. The pro-gun lobby talks about mental health being the problem. ERPO laws are specifically meant to address mental health issues.
Very often family members, co-workers, neighbors, etc., are aware of someone’s escalating violent behavior. They may be in a position to help intervene by petitioning the court to temporarily take away their firearms until the threat has passed. This seems like the common ground we’re all trying to find.
I was in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27, 2018, when a white supremacist entered the Tree of Life Synagogue shouting anti-Semitic slurs. He killed 11 people with his AR-15 and seriously injured six others, including my former husband, Daniel Leger. After nearly dying and spending five weeks in the ICU trauma unit, he continues a long rehabilitation.
Could a red flag law have prevented it? According to the research at Everytown for Gun Safety, in 51% of the mass shootings the shooter exhibited at least one red flag prior to the shooting. Whether it’s saving a life from firearm suicide, a child accidentally killing a sibling, an intimate partner shooting or a mass shooting from a hate crime, I would not want Hawaii to endure what Pittsburgh has gone through. These red flag laws have the potential to provide a pathway to treatment, the providing of resources, and a way to empower families and law enforcement to prevent tragedies.
After the Tree of Life massacre, Pittsburgh proposed three reasonable gun laws, one of which was an Extreme Risk Protection Order law. It was not without a contentious pushback from the National Rifle Association and pro-gun groups. And yes, the mayor and city, like Hawaii, were also threatened with lawsuits. Pittsburgh’s Mayor Bill Peduto responded, “Arrest me. Sue me. Impeach me. I was elected to protect my constituents and that’s exactly what I will do.”
He found lawyers and organizations to provide the city pro bono services and on April 9, Pittsburgh’s City Council voted 6-3 to pass them. It was historic and brave. There is momentum to make change. Colorado was the most recent state to pass a red flag law on April 12, 2019.
In Hawaii, credit goes to Gov. David Ige for signing House Bill 720, another common-sense law to report lost or stolen guns. Standing up to the Hawaii Rifle Association in spite of threats of lawsuits takes courage. Passage of the current red flag bill — SB 1466, relating to gun violence protective orders, now before the governor — will protect the residents of this beautiful state.
Jo Schlesinger, who lived in Manoa from 2016-18, is retired from the University of Pittsburgh, where she directed an outreach drug and alcohol prevention program. Her former husband and father of their two sons was one of the victims seriously injured in the 2018 Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh, Pa.
