Gun-safety Group Seeks New Washington Measure

SEATTLE (AP) — A gun-safety group is turning to Washington state voters after lawmakers failed to pass a bill to create "extreme-risk protection orders."

The Alliance for Gun Responsibility launched a campaign on Thursday for a ballot initiative that would create a new category of protection orders that would let law enforcement temporarily take guns from people considered a danger to themselves or others.

The alliance is the group behind the recently approved private-sale background-check initiative in Washington.

The extreme-risk protection orders are modeled after the well-established domestic violence protection orders. The group says they would empower families and law enforcement to petition a court to temporarily suspend access to guns if a person threatens violence.

Only three states - California, Indiana and Connecticut - have enacted such laws