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Once you get an order of protection or injunction, there may be laws that prohibit the respondent from having a gun in his/her possession. There are a few places where you can find this information:
- first, read the questions on this page to see if judges in Arizona have to power to remove guns as part of a temporary or final order;
- second, go to our State Gun Laws section to read about your state’s specific gun-related laws; and
- third you can read our Federal Gun Laws section to understand the federal laws that apply to all states.
You can read more about keeping an abuser from accessing guns on the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms’s website.
What should I do after receiving an order?
Here are some things you may want to consider doing. However, you will have to evaluate each one to see if it works for your situation.
- Make several copies of the order of protection as soon as possible.
- Keep a copy of the order of protection with you at all times.
- Leave copies of the order of protection at your work place, at your home, at the children’s school or daycare, in your car, with a sympathetic neighbor, and so on.
- Give a copy of the order along with a picture of the defendant to security or the person at the front desk where you live and/or work.
- Give a copy of the order to anyone who is named in and protected by the order.
- Take steps to safety plan, including changing your locks (if permitted by law) and your phone number.
If you feel that your employer or coworkers also need protection, you may want to speak to your employer about filing for an injunction against workplace harassment if you think that revealing your situation to your employer will not negatively affect your employment. See Injunction Against Workplace Harassment for more information.
Ongoing safety planning is important after receiving the order. People can do a number of things to increase their safety during violent incidents, when preparing to leave an abusive relationship, and when they are at home, work, and school. Many batterers obey protective orders, but some do not. It is important to build on the things you have already been doing to keep yourself safe. Click on the following link for suggestions on Safety Planning. Advocates at local resource centers can also assist you in designing a safety plan and can provide other forms of support as well.
What can I do if the abuser violates the order?
You may want to call the police, even if you think it is a minor violation. It is generally a crime if the abuser knowingly violates the order in any way. A judge can punish someone for being in contempt of court. In some cases, the police can arrest the abuser immediately if s/he is still present when the police arrive.
If you do call the police, it is a good idea to write down the name of the responding officer(s) and their badge number in case you want to follow up on your case.
For more information about contempt, including the difference between criminal contempt and civil contempt, go to our Domestic Violence Restraining Orders page.
Can I extend my order of protection?
Arizona law does not specifically state that a person can extend his/her order. Please speak to a lawyer to ask if it’s possible to apply for a new order before the current order expires if there is continued fear of the respondent, for example, even if no new incidents have occurred since the current order was issued.
What happens if I move? Is my order still effective?
Your order of protection is good wherever you go in Arizona. It can also be enforced even if you move to another state. If you move, your order must be given full faith and credit in any other state, territorial or tribal court,1 which means that your order will be enforceable wherever you go.
For more information about moving with an Arizona order of protection, go to Moving to Another State with an Order of Protection.
Note: For information on enforcing a military protection order (MPO) off the military installation or enforcing a civil protection order (CPO) on a military installation, please see our Military Protective Orders page.
1 18 U.S.C. § 2265
If I get a protection order, will it show up in an internet search?
According to federal law, which applies to all states, territories, and tribal lands, the courts are not supposed to make available publicly on the internet any information that would be likely to reveal your identity or location. This applies to all of these documents:
- the petition you file;
- the protection order, restraining order, or injunction that was issued by the court; or
- the registration of an order in a different state.1
1 18 USC § 2265(d)(3)
