The House is set to vote on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act tomorrow. The law expired in February during the government shutdown. A new provision in the bill will prevent convicted stalkers or dating partners convicted of domestic abuse from owning a gun.
The current law only prevents those convicted of abuse and who were married to their victim, live with their victim, or have a child with their victim from owning a gun. The new provision would extend this to stalkers, current or past dating partners, and those with restraining orders. The NAACP has come out in full support of the bill with its new provisions.
The NRA has come out in opposition of the new bill. However, Democratic representatives have been ignoring the current NRA rhetoric regarding the bill. Representative Lucy McBath (GA-06) has stated how most women who have been murdered were killed with guns by their loved ones. A 2017 CDC study found that half of all female homicide victims are killed by “intimate partners,” which include spouses and dating partners. Studies also show that women are 5 times more likely to be killed by their abuser if their abuser owns a gun.
Media Resources: New York Times 4/1/19; NAACP 3/31/19; CDC 7/21/17; Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence
