Rhode Island's Democrat Gov. Gina Raimondo signed an executive order Monday directing authorities in the state to use all legal steps to remove firearms from the home of those they feel are a danger.

Raimondo's action, signed before a crowd of gun control advocates, comes in tandem with a measure introduced in the state legislature to enact so-called extreme risk protective orders which would allow police to take guns from those a judge feels may be a threat to themselves or others. While the bill progresses to her desk, Raimondo said her executive action will help pave the way.

"We cannot wait a minute longer for Washington to take action to prevent gun violence," Raimondo said. "The executive order I signed today is an immediate step we can take to make residents safer. It sets the table for a complementary legislative effort."

The order directs state police to take steps consistent with "all applicable state and federal laws and regulations" to remove guns from the household of those that investigators believe pose a significant danger to themselves or others in a "red flag" report. The investigation would follow up on tips received about recent threats of violence such as posts or statements made on social media coupled with, say, evidence of access to firearms. State police, working with local law enforcement as a part of Raimondo's order, would follow-up with the person reported by a tipster and conduct background checks and information searches before acting.

HIMES: "...Here's the thing. My good friend [Dem Rep.] Cheri Bustos who represents a very tough district in Illinois, we have sort of a running joke going in the mornings, which is, she's got a district very different from mine and I represent Fairfield County, Connecticut. She's in the heartland in a distinct that we need to figure out how to win again. Every Monday morning when I see Cheri and we come up there's a little bit of laughter and she says, 'you know what? My constituents are still not asking me about Russia.