Firearm Restraining Order Implementation Case Study in Lake County, Illinois

Risk-based firearm laws are a firearm injury prevention strategy. However, evidence for their efficacy in reducing firearm injury is mixed. There is agreement that the magnitude of their effect depends on implementation and efficacy would improve with better implementation. Local context and processes are key to evaluating outcomes of these laws. To contribute to the evidence base we conducted a case study of Firearm Restraining Order (FRO) implementation in Lake County, Illinois. The details of Illinois FRO policy are, similar those of other locations with notable exceptions that in Illinois roommates are allowed to petition and medical care providers are not. The study examined data from court documents related to 42 FRO petitions filed between January 2021 and June 2024. Lake County is similar to other locations studied in terms of respondent demographics including age, race and gender. It differs in the distribution of types of incidents precipitating FROs. Lake County has a greater share of emergency FROs petitioned due to threats related to harm to others, while other locations studied typically have a higher burden of self-harm threat incidents triggering FRO initiation. The share of initiating incidents related to mass shooting threats is similar to that of other locations studied. In Lake County, IL most petitioners are law enforcement officers with few petitions made by others enabled by the law. This too is similar to that of other jurisdictions. Our study finds that in Lake County the EFRO petition process generally proceeds within established policy timelines and the majority of FRO cases resulted the issuance of plenary FROs. Two implementation areas identified for further investigation include the low level of intimate partner notification when an emergency FRO is petitioned and the volume of emergency FRO dismissals due to lack of petitioner appearance at plenary FRO hearings.