More states are trying to keep guns away from people who might do harm, but the push in Tennessee faces an uphill battle

An Extreme Risk Protection Order law, sometimes called a Red Flag law, is working its way through the Tennessee legislature.

Gun control supporters are planning to attend a hearing at the State Capitol Wednesday.

The bill would allow a family member or law enforcement to petition the court to separate someone from their guns who is at extreme risk of harming themselves, or others.

More than a dozen other states have passed similar laws in recent years.

Data from states like Connecticut and Indiana found that the laws were associated with reductions in firearm suicides.

Linda McFadyen-Ketchum with Moms Demand Action Tennessee says the law is especially necessary because more people than ever have become gun owners during the pandemic. That has made weapons more accessible to people struggling with their mental health.

“We lose over 700 people in Tennessee to gun suicide every year,” McFadyen-Ketchum says, “and some of the family members of those folks know that they’re in trouble and are worried about it, and know that they have firearms.”

The new law could help save those lives, she argues. It could also protect victims in domestic and family violence cases.

Retired Metro Nashville Police Sgt. Twana Chick plans to testify at the hearing Wednesday.

Last year, Chick was growing concerned about her brother. She worried he was at risk of harming her, their parents or his children. Her fears bore out when her brother shot her and then fatally shot himself. She now says she would have utilized an Extreme Risk Protection Order law to separate him from his guns had it been available to her at the time.

Despite support from groups like Moms Demand Action, some law enforcement in rural areas are concerned about not having enough staffing to safely collect firearms if the bill were passed into law.

Wednesday’s hearing is just the first step in an uphill battle that could take years.