Sheriff’s Deputies Serving ERPO confiscate over 40 firearms and over 23,000 rounds of ammunition

Upper Marlboro, MD… The Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Warrant/Fugitive Division Squad 2 last week reported that in the simultaneous service an Emergency Petition Service (EPS) and an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO), they placed the person named in both court orders into custody without incident and safely transported them to a medical facility for evaluation and aid.

With authority to confiscate firearms bestowed on deputies by the ERPO, after receiving Consent to Search at the residence, deputies searched a vehicle and the residence where they found over 40 firearms, 342 firearm magazines, and over 23,000 ammunition rounds. They transported the weapons to the Sheriff’s headquarters for processing and storage. Another 38 firearms and 1600 ammunition rounds were surrendered to the Sheriff’s Office on Monday May 13^th.

The ERPO law, which prohibits possession of firearms by a respondent named in an ERPO, was enacted by the General Assembly in 2018 and became effective on October 1^st.  The ERPO Law gives law enforcement the authority to take guns away from persons who may be mentally ill or experiencing some mental crisis or distress to keep them from hurting themselves or others.

An ERPO may be requested by a family member or another individual concerned about the person’s safety; in the case of domestic violence, the petitioner may be a person concerned for their own safety from the person with the guns.

Since October 1^st, the Office of the Sheriff has served 56 ERPO’s related to domestic violence. In the process, it has collected 132 firearms and over 35,000 rounds of ammunition. “The results since this law went into effect demonstrate the need and the value of this tool for law enforcement and for community safety,” said Sheriff High. “We were proud to support this legislation and to support lawmakers in getting it passed.”  

An Extreme Risk Protection Order may be applied for against any individual who presents an “immediate and present” danger. The order of the court granting the ERPO requires the respondent to surrender all firearms in his or her possession and authorizes law enforcement to intervene to assure that surrender of weapons is achieved. 

For more information about this release contact the communications and Public Affairs Division at 301-780-7354.