密歇根新闻广播 佛罗里达州的枪击事件可能导致收回枪支

 

State lawmakers might soon consider bills that would let courts temporarily take guns away from gun owners they considered to be dangerous to other people or themselves.

The bills were introduced to the legislature last summer by Rep. Robert Wittenberg, D-Huntington Woods. Wittenberg's bills (HBs 4706 and 4707) have languished¹ in a legislative² committee ever since. But after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, where 17 people were killed, Wittenberg is urging his colleagues to consider a legislative effort that he says would help prevent future tragedies if it becomes law.

State Rep. Robert Wittenberg says tragedies could be prevented if law enforcement had a way to take firearms away from people who pose a threat to others.

"If we had this in place in Florida, law enforcement would be able to take that person's weapon away," Wittenberg said Tuesday on Michigan Radio's Stateside program. "And we wouldn't be having this conversation right now because we wouldn't have lost 17 lives."

Wittenberg's bills call for allowing family members or law enforcement to ask a judge to temporarily take away any guns owned by a person who poses a threat to other people, or themselves. The bills call such a request an "Extreme Risk Protection Order." According to a press release from the introduction of the bills to the legislature last June, the courts could only take someone's guns away for up to a year under such an order.

Wittenberg says there would be penalties for anyone who filed frivolous³ requests. The process for an Extreme Risk Protection Order would be a court hearing, where evidence and testimony⁴ would be heard for the courts to consider what threat a gun owner owner posed.

"We don't take this lightly, but we know this is a way to prevent these tragedies from happening," Wittenberg said.

Rep. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, chairs the House Judiciary Committee, where the bills would be considered. Wittenberg says he talked to Runestad Monday, and he's "cautiously optimistic" the bills could get a hearing. Runestad's office didn't immediately return a request for comment.

"I had a conversation with Rep. Runestad yesterday, and he said he's willing to read it and take a look," Wittenberg said.

Five states reportedly have similar laws, sometimes called "red flag" laws: California, Connecticut, Washington and Indiana. Some nationally prominent Republicans like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are now expressing support for similar legislation at the state government level in states.

This story was edited to correct an error about who may make a request of the court for gun seizures⁵ and to correct misspellings of the legislator's name.

1 languished   

长期受苦( languish的过去式和过去分词 )； 受折磨； 变得（越来越）衰弱； 因渴望而变得憔悴或闷闷不乐

参考例句：

• Our project languished during the holidays. 我们的计划在假期间推动得松懈了。
• He languished after his dog died. 他狗死之后，人憔悴了。

2 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

3 frivolous   

adj.轻薄的；轻率的

参考例句：

• This is a frivolous way of attacking the problem.这是一种轻率敷衍的处理问题的方式。
• He spent a lot of his money on frivolous things.他在一些无聊的事上花了好多钱。

4 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

5 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句