The US Supreme Court ruled in a 7 to 2 decision yesterday that those convicted of misdemeanors related to domestic violence can not legally possess firearms. The ruling reverses an appeals court decision that would have allowed abusers to possess guns if they were charged under statutes without a domestic violence element, according to CNN.
The Court’s decision was authored by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and states “Congress sought to apply the firearm ban to all persons convicted of domestic-violence offenses, whether or not their [state] statutes of conviction happen to contain a domestic-relationship element.”
In a press release, Sue Else, President of the National Network to End Domestic Violence said “Arming the people who brutally beat their spouses or partners is a recipe for disaster .The Supreme Court made the right decision by upholding the domestic violence gun ban, keeping guns out of the hands of batterers and helping victims recovering from abuse to stay safe.” Legal Momentum’s President, Irasema Garza said “We have seen time and again that guns and domestic violence are a lethal combination. By restricting offenders’ access to firearms, this decision helps to protect victims from attacks that could cost them their lives.”
