Florida authorities are using a new state law to ban Nikolas Cruz’s younger brother from owning a gun, after he was found on the grounds of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office filed a “red flag” risk protection order on Tuesday that would allow law enforcement to temporarily take Zachary Cruz’s firearms away and prevent him from getting new ones, if the order is granted by a court, CNN reported.
The measure used against Zachary was part of the new Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act in Florida, which went into effect earlier in March.
If the risk protection order is granted, “it will prohibit Cruz from possessing and acquiring firearms for a period of time to be determined by the court,” the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said.
The new law also lets a law enforcement officer temporarily seize firearms from someone they’re already taking into custody for an involuntary mental health assessment.
Zachary was arrested Monday for trespassing at the school where his older brother killed 17 people on Feb. 14. The younger Cruz is being required to take a psychological evaluation and his bail bond was set at $500,000 for the misdemeanor charge, a Florida judge ruled Tuesday.
Cruz’s defense attorney argued he was being punished for his brother’s crimes, when the usual amount for a bond for a misdemeanor trespassing charge is $25.
The judge also ruled that officers were permitted to search Cruz’s home in Florida for guns.
Cruz said this was his third time visiting the school since the shooting.
