HB 222 - Lethal Violence Protection Orders

• Establishes a new legal mechanism for obtaining lethal violence protective orders through Justice of the Peace Court or Superior Court to prohibit individuals from owning, possessing, or accessing firearms.

• Allows family members and law-enforcement officers to petition for protective orders against respondents who pose a danger of causing physical injury to themselves or others through firearm access.

• Authorizes emergency protective orders issued by Justice of the Peace Court within 24 hours based on law enforcement affidavits, with a subsequent Superior Court hearing required within 15 days; emergency orders may not exceed 45 days.

• Establishes nonemergency protective orders issued by Superior Court based on clear and convincing evidence, valid for up to one year and subject to renewal or termination based on subsequent hearings.

• Adds violation of lethal violence protective orders as criminal contempt under Title 11, with penalties ranging from class A misdemeanor to class F felony depending on whether physical injury or deadly weapons are involved; prohibits persons subject to active orders from possessing firearms or ammunition.