ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Sheriff John Mina said he’s having success getting some of the guns off the streets and out of the hands of potentially dangerous people because of a law that allows them to act right away.
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Risk protection orders are part of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, which passed in 2018. It allows law enforcement to immediately a gun away from someone if law enforcement believe the pose a danger to themselves or others.
The case then goes before a judge, who makes a final decision.
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In just the first seven months of the year, there has been a 156% increase in the amount of risk protection orders in Orange County.
“The increase is because we increased our staffing to address that,” Mina said.
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He said the staffing comes from increased crisis intervention and training in the behavioral response unit.
Last year, the Behavioral Response Unit worked 32 risk protection orders. So far this year, there have been 82.
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