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WEBVTT LAW CAME UNDER SCRUTINY TODAY BY A HOUSE COMMITTEE. STAN AS THE I-TEAM’S DAVID : COLLINS REPORTS, LAWMAKERS GOT A BRIEFING BY POLICE, A DISTRICT COURT JUDGE, AND OTHERS ON THE IMPACT IT HAS HAD SO FAR. DAVID: IN FORCING THE NEW RED FLAG LAW CAN BE DANGEROUS, ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY POLICE SHOT AND KILLED A 61-YEAR-OLD FERNDALE MAN WHILE TRYING TO SERVE IN ORDER TO CONFISCATE HIS WEAPONS. THREE DIED AND THREE WERE WOUNDED AT A DISTRIBUTION CENTER IN ABERDEEN. THE SHOOTER SUFFERED FROM SCHIZOPHRENIA. HAD THE NEW LAW AND IN EFFECT FAMILY MEMBERS COULD HAVE PETITIONED THE COURT TO TAKE HER GUN. >> IF WE COULD HAVE THE PANEL,. DAVID: LAW ENFORCEMENT, A JUDGE, AND THE SPONSOR BRIEFED THE HOUSE. >> THERE WAS A CONSENSUS THAT THOSE WHO ARE A DANGER TO THEMSELVES OR OTHERS SHOULD HAVE PROBABLY A TEMPORARY TIMEOUT FROM THEIR GUN OWNERSHIP. DAVID: SINCE THE LAW TOOK EFFECT OCTOBER 1, THERE HAVE BEEN A TOTAL OF 302 EXTREME RISK PROTECTED -- PROTECTIVE ORDER >> OF THE 300 ORDERS, FIVE OF THEM HAVE BEEN SCHOOL RELATED THREATS. FOUR OF THOSE WERE SIGNIFICANT THREATS. THEY ARE BECAUSE OF THE CONFIDENTIALITY THAT IS BUILT INTO THIS PIECE OF LEGISLATION, I CANNOT GET INTO DETAILS OF ANY OF THOSE. HOWEVER, I WILL TELL YOU THAT THEY WERE SIGNIFICANT AND FIREARMS WERE SEIZED IN EACH ONE OF THOSE CASES. DAVID: EXPERTS SAY THAT NUMBERS ARE HIGHER IN AREAS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED MASS SHOOTINGS. >> SOMETHING THAT CAN EFFECTIVELY SAVE LIVES. DAVID: 60% ARE FAMILY OR HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS, 44 ARE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND ONE HEALTH PRACTITIONER HAS REQUESTED A PETITION. 50% ARE FINAL WHICH MEANS THE FIREARMS WILL NOT RETURN. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE ORDER CARRIES 90 DAYS TO ONE YEAR IN JAIL.

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Maryland's new "red flag" law came under scrutiny Tuesday before a House committee.Since the law took effect, on average, 100 extreme protective orders have been issued each month, which is the most of any state with a red flag law.But enforcing Maryland's new "red flag" law can be dangerous. Last November, Anne Arundel County police shot and killed a 61-year-old Ferndale man while trying to serve a court order to confiscate his weapons.Three people died and three others were wounded last September at a Rite Aid Distribution Center in Perryman. Investigators determined the shooter, Snochia Moseley, suffered from schizophrenia. Had the new law been in effect then, family members could have petitioned the court to take her gun.Law enforcement, a judge and the bill's sponsor briefed a House committee Tuesday on the new law."There was an increasing consensus that those that are a danger to themselves or others should have probably a temporary time out from their gun ownership," said Delegate Geraldine Valentino Smith, the bill's sponsor.Since the law took effect Oct. 1, there have been a total of 302 extreme risk protective orders -- including 47 in Anne Arundel County, 41 in Baltimore County, 11 in Baltimore City and 33 in Harford County -- according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office."Of the 300 protective orders, at least five of them have been school-related threats, four of those significant threats, and firearms were seized in each and every one of those cases," Montgomery County Sheriff Darren Popkin said.Experts said the numbers are higher in areas that have experienced mass shootings."(It's) something that really effectively saves lives," said Jen Paulikonis, president of Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence.Sixty percent of filing petitioners are family or household members. Forty-four percent of petitions are filed by law enforcement. So far, only one health practitioner has requested a petition, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.Fifty percent of the petitions are final, in which firearms are not returned. Failure to comply with the court order is a misdemeanor carrying a penalty of 90 days to a year in jail.