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Maryland Extreme Risk Protective Order GuideFor families and loved ones Crisis: 988
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Where the facts come from

Sources

Every number and legal fact on this site comes from a Maryland law, an official court document, court data or a published study. The small numbers in brackets on each page point to this list.

  1. Maryland General Assembly. Extreme Risk Protective Orders, Public Safety Article, Title 5, Subtitle 6. Annotated Code of Maryland.
  2. Maryland General Assembly. Petition contents; where to file; confidentiality; immunity. Annotated Code of Maryland.
  3. Maryland General Assembly. Interim extreme risk protective order (District Court commissioner). Annotated Code of Maryland.
  4. Maryland General Assembly. Temporary extreme risk protective order. Annotated Code of Maryland.
  5. Maryland General Assembly. Final extreme risk protective order. Annotated Code of Maryland.
  6. Maryland General Assembly. Modification, rescission, extension and appeal. Annotated Code of Maryland.
  7. Maryland General Assembly. Storage and return of surrendered firearms. Annotated Code of Maryland.
  8. District Court of Maryland. How to File for an Extreme Risk Protective Order (DC-ERPO-001BR, Rev. 03/2020). mdcourts.gov.
  9. District Court of Maryland. Petition for Extreme Risk Protective Order (DC-ERPO-001, Rev. 03/2022). mdcourts.gov.
  10. District Court of Maryland. Extreme Risk Protective Orders. mdcourts.gov.
  11. District Court of Maryland. Who does what in District Court? District Court commissioners are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. mdcourts.gov.
  12. District Court of Maryland. Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) monthly activity reports, January 2021 to August 2026. mdcourts.gov statistics.
  13. Maryland General Assembly. Petition for emergency evaluation. Annotated Code of Maryland.
  14. Maryland General Assembly. Storage of a loaded firearm where an unsupervised minor has access. Annotated Code of Maryland.
  15. Maryland General Assembly. Sale, transfer or loan of rifles and shotguns. Annotated Code of Maryland.
  16. Maryland General Assembly. Rifle and shotgun transfers between private parties through a licensee. Annotated Code of Maryland.
  17. Maryland General Assembly. Handgun qualification license, seven-day waiting period and secondary sales of regulated firearms. Annotated Code of Maryland.
  18. Conner A, Azrael D, Miller M. Suicide case-fatality rates in the United States, 2007 to 2014: a nationwide population-based study. Ann Intern Med. 2019;171(12):885-895.
    89.6% of suicidal acts with a firearm were fatal, versus 8.5% of all suicidal acts; firearms and hanging were 8.8% of acts but 75.3% of deaths.
  19. Simon OR, Swann AC, Powell KE, Potter LB, Kresnow MJ, O’Carroll PW. Characteristics of impulsive suicide attempts and attempters. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2001;32(1 Suppl):49-59.
    Among 153 survivors of nearly lethal attempts (ages 13-34), 24% spent less than 5 minutes between the decision and the attempt.
  20. Deisenhammer EA, Ing CM, Strauss R, Kemmler G, Hinterhuber H, Weiss EM. The duration of the suicidal process: how much time is left for intervention between consideration and accomplishment of a suicide attempt? J Clin Psychiatry. 2009;70(1):19-24.
    47.6% of attempters reported 10 minutes or less between the first current thought of suicide and the attempt.
  21. Anglemyer A, Horvath T, Rutherford G. The accessibility of firearms and risk for suicide and homicide victimization among household members: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2014;160(2):101-110.
    Firearm access: pooled OR 3.24 (95% CI 2.41-4.40) for suicide and 2.00 for homicide victimization.
  22. Wintemute GJ, Parham CA, Beaumont JJ, Wright M, Drake C. Mortality among recent purchasers of handguns. N Engl J Med. 1999;341(21):1583-1589.
    In the first week after a handgun purchase, the firearm-suicide rate was 57 times the adjusted population rate.
  23. Studdert DM, Zhang Y, Swanson SA, et al. Handgun ownership and suicide in California. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(23):2220-2229.
    26.3 million Californians: handgun owners had firearm-suicide hazard ratios of 7.82 (men) and 35.15 (women); risk peaked right after first acquisition.
  24. Swanson JW, Zeoli AM, Frattaroli S, et al. Suicide prevention effects of extreme risk protection order laws in four states. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 2024;52(3):327-337.
    Among 4,583 respondents in CA, CT, MD and WA: one suicide averted for every 17-23 ERPOs (13-18 when suicide concern was documented).
  25. Frattaroli S, et al. Extreme Risk Protective Orders in Maryland: an analysis of petitioners (October 2018 to June 2020, preliminary). American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, 2022.
    Of 1,363 Maryland petitions, 56.6% were filed by law enforcement, 41.8% by family, partners or cohabitants, and 0.5% by clinicians.
  26. Elbogen EB, Johnson SC. The intricate link between violence and mental disorder: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009;66(2):152-161.
    Severe mental illness alone did not predict violence; past violence, substance abuse, recent divorce, unemployment and victimization did.
  27. Busch KA, Fawcett J, Jacobs DG. Clinical correlates of inpatient suicide. J Clin Psychiatry. 2003;64(1):14-19.
    78% of inpatients who died by suicide denied suicidal ideation at their last communication; 79% had severe anxiety or agitation.
  28. Chung D, Hadzi-Pavlovic D, Wang M, Swaraj S, Olfson M, Large M. Meta-analysis of suicide rates in the first week and the first month after psychiatric hospitalisation. BMJ Open. 2019;9(3):e023883.
    Suicide rate 2,950/100,000 person-years in the first week and 2,060 in the first month after discharge.
  29. Bostwick JM, Pabbati C, Geske JR, McKean AJ. Suicide attempt as a risk factor for completed suicide: even more lethal than we knew. Am J Psychiatry. 2016;173(11):1094-1100.
    5.4% of 1,490 first-time attempters died by suicide; 59% of those deaths came on the index attempt; 2.3% of survivors died by suicide later, 82% of them within a year; gunshot OR 140 for death.
  30. Carroll R, Metcalfe C, Gunnell D. Hospital presenting self-harm and risk of fatal and non-fatal repetition: systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2014;9(2):e89944.
    After hospital-presenting self-harm, 1.6% die by suicide within 12 months and 3.9% within 5 years.
  31. Grossman DC, Mueller BA, Riedy C, et al. Gun storage practices and risk of youth suicide and unintentional firearm injuries. JAMA. 2005;293(6):707-714.
    Locked storage OR 0.27, unloaded OR 0.30, locked ammunition OR 0.39 for youth firearm suicide and unintentional injury.
  32. Shenassa ED, Rogers ML, Spalding KL, Roberts MB. Safer storage of firearms at home and risk of suicide: a study of protective factors in a nationally representative sample. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2004;58(10):841-848.
    Storing firearms locked (OR 0.39) or unloaded (OR 0.30) was associated with lower odds of firearm suicide.
  33. Kelly M, Devinney A, Bryant B, Dean S, Li L, Berman AL, et al. Familial firearm culture among the families of youth who died by firearm suicide in Maryland: a qualitative analysis of psychological autopsy interviews. Inj Prev. 2025.
    Psychological autopsy interviews about 13 Maryland youth firearm suicides: 10 (77%) used a family-owned gun, 11 (85%) had received mental health treatment, and 46% of families would have filed an ERPO had they known it existed.
  34. Kelly T, Brandspigel S, Polzer E, Betz ME. Firearm storage maps: a pragmatic approach to reduce firearm suicide during times of risk. Ann Intern Med. 2020;172(5):351-353.
  35. Betz ME, Azrael D, Johnson RL, et al. Views on firearm safety among caregivers of people with Alzheimer disease and related dementias. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(7):e207756.
    Only 5% of dementia caregivers had ever been counseled on firearm safety; 31% of live-in caregivers said the person could access a firearm.
  36. Betz ME, Miller M, Matlock DD, et al. Older firearm owners and advance planning: results of a national survey. Ann Intern Med. 2021;174(2):279-282.
  37. Stanley B, Brown GK, Brenner LA, et al. Comparison of the Safety Planning Intervention with follow-up vs usual care of suicidal patients treated in the emergency department. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018;75(9):894-900.
    Safety planning plus telephone follow-up after an ED visit was associated with 45% fewer suicidal behaviors over 6 months (OR 0.56) and doubled outpatient engagement.
  38. Mann JJ, Michel CA, Auerbach RP. Improving suicide prevention through evidence-based strategies: a systematic review. Am J Psychiatry. 2021;178(7):611-624.
    Means restriction, including of firearms, prevents suicide; active follow-up after discharge should be routine.
  39. Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence; Pierce’s Pledge. Maryland temporary firearm storage options. mdpgv.org.

Maryland court numbers come from the District Court’s monthly ERPO reports, January 2021 through August 2026. Court forms on this site are the Maryland Judiciary’s own: DC-ERPO-001 (Rev. 03/2022), DC-ERPO-001A (10/2018), DC-ERPO-001B (Rev. 04/2024) and CC-DC-ERPO-006 (Rev. 08/2026). Check mdcourts.gov for newer versions before you file.