The Jake Laird Law: Give states the tools to save lives from gun violence

A bronze plaque marks the place on South Dietz Avenue in Indianapolis, Indiana where Officer Timothy “Jake” Laird of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department was killed.

Jake and four other officers were wounded as they responded to an active shooter, armed with a semiautomatic rifle and two handguns, on August 18, 2004.

Sadly, it appeared that Officer Laird’s death could have been prevented. The shooter’s weapons had been confiscated and then returned just five months earlier. At the time, police didn’t have the authority to keep them out of the shooter’s dangerous hands.

In response, Indiana didn’t let politics get in the way of action. The Indiana Legislature moved quickly and overwhelmingly passed a law to give the courts the authority to review threat information and remove guns from the possession of dangerous people.

In Washington, D.C., a memorial bears the names of 21,541 officers killed in the line of duty, many with firearms. According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 514 officers were shot and killed over the past decade. Shootings were the leading cause of death in the line of duty, nearly 1.5 times more than the number of fatal traffic accidents (364) and jobrelated illnesses (325).

While the memorial honors fallen officers, it stands only a few short blocks away from the place where the gun safety debate has been completely frozen by partisan politics: The United States Capitol.

In Congress, our failure to have a level-headed debate about gun safety puts Americans and our police officers in the line of fire.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, gun violence is rarely random. If we recognize warning signs and police have the tools to take action, we can save lives. According to Sandy Hook Promise, most mass shootings are planned for six months to a year. In each case they examined, there were warning signs that were ignored.

In Florida, police have long had the authority to detain people who are a danger to themselves or others for mental health evaluations. Yet they had no authority to take weapons out of dangerous hands.

That changed after Parkland. Like Indiana, the Florida Legislature came together. The state with one of the most polarized legislatures, and the epicenter of gun company lobbying power, put safety first. Florida now has a “red flag” law much like the Jake Laird Act in Indiana. According to a survey by the outh Florida Sun Sentinel, Broward County law enforcement agencies have seized guns from 34 dangerous people, utilizing the new law more than any other county. This could mean that some of our neighbors are alive today who wouldn’t be if it weren’t for the new law.

It’s time for the federal government to step up and help give every jurisdiction the tools needed to intervene and save lives. That’s why I’m joining Susan Brooks, a Republican from Indiana, to introduce the federal Jake Laird Law.

As with any other commonsense gun safety policy, we must be mindful of the constitutional protections in the Second Amendment. Both the Indiana and Florida laws protect law-abiding gun owners with due process guarantees. Under our proposal, any state that wants federal grant dollars to enact their own red flag law would need maintain strong Second Amendment protections. There is simply no excuse for inaction.

Congress has shamefully failed to respond to gun violence not only in schools, churches, nightclubs, and concert venues, but also in response to the loss of brave law enforcement officers —those who put on their badges, run toward danger, and ignore the risk that they won’t return home after their shift. Now is the time for the federal government to push for red flag laws in every state around the country.

This week, Congress recognized Police Week. It is a fitting time to honor all fallen officers, and every victim and survivor of gun violence, by setting a new goal. Congress has 95 days from Peace Officers Memorial Day, on May 15, until August 18, the 14th anniversary of Officer Jake Laird’s death. Now is the time to act.

Let’s put partisanship and a polarized gun debate aside and give law enforcement officers one more tool to make our communities safer from gun violence.