Localities are too timid about using Virginia red flag law that can save lives

Localities are too timid about using Virginia red flag law that can save lives

(Gerry Broome/The Associated Press)Communities around Virginia are ignoring an opportunity to prevent suicides and mass shootings. That’s the unmistakable conclusion found in recent news articles about the use – or lack thereof – of “emergency substantial risk orders,” commonly known as the red flag law. The state’s 2020 law allows police and sheriff’s deputies to take firearms from individuals or stop them from buying guns if they are a risk to…