Democratic Women’s Caucus and Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Urge DOJ to Prioritize the Safety and Livelihood of Women by Limiting Domestic Abusers’ Access to Guns
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) member Gwen S. Moore (WI-04), DWC Senate Liaison Debbie Dingell (MI-06), and Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chair Mike Thompson (CA-04) led 57 Members of Congress in a comment letter on an interim final rule (IFR) out of the Department of Justice that could restore gun rights to domestic abusers and individuals who harm women and children. In their letter, the Members implore the DOJ to take the dangers of domestic violence seriously in their process to restore firearm rights.
Allowing domestic abusers to access firearms is incredibly dangerous, given the prevalence of gun violence in the United States.
“Firearms are the weapon of choice for violent crime in the United States, including domestic violence. 46,000 people die from gun violence every year in our country and over 40% of those deaths are gun homicides. Approximately 4.5 million women alive today have been threatened by an intimate partner with a firearm, and almost 1 million women alive today have been shot, or shot at, by an intimate partner. Guns are the primary weapon used for murder because they are both uniquely lethal and widely available. Indeed, nearly 7 in 10 intimate partner homicides involve a gun. This is why Congress created a discrete set of restrictions on who can own a firearm,” the Members explained in their letter.
“Firearms access is a threat multiplier for domestic violence. About 25 million U.S. adults have experienced firearm abuse by an intimate partner. An abusive partner's access to a firearm makes it five times more likely that a woman will be killed. Every year, over 750 American women are shot to death by intimate partners. Three out of five intimate partner homicides are committed with a firearm and nearly a third of mass shooters have a history of domestic violence,” the Members continue.
These dangers are why Congress acted to protect women and survivors when crafting firearm legislation decades ago.
“The Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA) makes it illegal for nine categories of persons to ship, transport, possess, or receive firearms and ammunition. One of those classes are persons convicted of a ‘misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.’ Under the domestic violence prohibitor, anyone who has a specified domestic relationship with the victim and is convicted of a misdemeanor offense that has the use or attempted use of physical force or threatened use of a deadly weapon as an element is prohibited from possessing firearms. The DOJ should not institute firearms rights restoration processes that ignore Congress’s directive in 18 U.S.C. 925(c) to prioritize public safety, especially when it comes to protecting survivors of domestic abuse,” the Members explained in their letter.
The Members urge the DOJ to consider the deadly impacts of allowing domestic abusers access to firearms through their restoration of firearms process and their further rulemaking.
“The truth is that domestic violence and abuse in this country is too often fatal and that is invariably because of firearms. We urge you to prioritize the safety and livelihood of the thousands of women who could be harmed should more domestic abusers have access to guns,” concluded the lawmakers.
The full letter can be accessed here.
In addition to letter leads Gwen S. Moore, Debbie Dingell, and Mike Thompson, the letter was signed by: Teresa Leger Fernández, Lucy McBath, Shontel Brown, Jasmine Crockett, LaMonica McIver, Joyce Beatty, Julia Brownley, Andrea Salinas, Deborah Ross, Pramila Jayapal, Nikema Williams, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Julie Johnson, Norma Torres, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Frederica Wilson, Madeleine Dean, Nancy Pelosi, Rashida Tlaib, Sylvia Garcia, Nydia Velázquez, Robin Kelly, Hank Johnson, Kelly Morrison, Dave Min, Eric Swalwell, Mike Quigley, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Wesley Bell, Dan Goldman, Joe Neguse, Valerie Foushee, Laura Friedman, Betty McCollum, Jake Auchincloss, Dina Titus, Yvette Clarke, John Garamendi, Lizzie Fletcher, Stephen Lynch, Veronica Escobar, Zoe Lofgren, Bill Foster, Robert Garcia, Jahana Hayes, Becca Balint, Emilia Strong Sykes, Mikie Sherrill, Gilbert Cisneros, Mark DeSaulnier, Jennifer McClellan, Sean Casten, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Sarah Elfreth, Jan Schakowsky, Diana DeGette, and Marcy Kaptur.