Washington, DC — Today, Reps. Lucy McBath (D-GA), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Robin Kelly (D-IL), and Troy Carter (D-LA) spoke to the danger the 5th Circuit ruling poses by allowing domestic abusers to purchase guns, putting women, children, and countless survivors at risk. The members were joined by NNEDV President & CEO Deborah J. Vagins; Everytown for Gun Safety’s Senior Vice President of Movement Building Angela Ferrell-Zabala; Brady Counsel Shira Feldman; and Giffords’ Deputy Chief Counsel David Pucino.
Video of the Press Conference is Available to Watch Here
“In another cruel and callous decision, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has decided that those with a domestic violence restraining order against them may buy, or continue to possess, the very same firearms that possibly threatened their victims in the past. Survivors of domestic violence and victims of ongoing abuse will now be subjected to the horrifying notion that the next time they stop outside for coffee, go to the grocery store, take their child to the park, that a dangerous partner may put the life of themselves and their loved ones at risk,” said McBath. “If my son’s murderer were to find his way out of prison, should he also have access to any weapon of war he should choose to wield? Is this who we want to be? A country where predators can purchase firearms as they so please? We must move forward to save lives, not turn the clock back. These are common sense, bipartisan policies. Policies that a majority of the American public support. Policies that will save lives.”
Background
A panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit struck down a critical, long-standing gun safety law that protects domestic violence victims and keeps guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. A panel of extremist judges dangerously ruled that the federal law that prohibits people who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders (DVROs) is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. By declaring this critical federal law to be unconstitutional, the Fifth Circuit panel would allow people in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders to access a gun. If the decision is not reversed, domestic violence survivors face the prospect that their abusers can get armed immediately.
- An average of 70 women in America are shot and killed by an intimate partner in an average month – and the presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation makes it five times as likely that a woman will be killed. See more on the nexus of domestic violence and guns here.
- Strong laws are critical for combating gun violence, and research shows there are substantial drops in intimate partner homicide rates when states prohibit those under a DVRO from having guns and when states encourage or require firearm surrender for these abusers.
- In just the first few weeks of 2023, we witnessed the deadly intersection of guns and domestic violence in communities across the country. In January alone there were multiple horrific incidents of domestic violence shootings, including in Utah where a man shot and killed his wife, mother-in-law, and five children two weeks after his wife filed for divorce.