Liberty for All Means Protection for All

The media emphasizes gun control for the purpose of keeping schools and streets safe, but what about homes? There is too little attention on the chilling impact that guns have on domestic violence and intimate partner relationships. In some places, increased gun law enforcement has reduced intimate partner homicide rate by 25%. However, there are still many steps that need to be taken as a nation to guarantee that abusers are denied further access to hurting their victims.

Before broadly approaching the issue, it must be made clear that gun violence is a feminist issue, and an intersectional one at that. Black women in the U.S. are almost 4x more likely to be shot and killed than a white woman. While there are a handful of reasons that play into this discrepancy, the racist criminal justice system has a major impact on many women of color’s lack of inclination to report abuse. If there is to be legal action, the unjust realities for women of color must remain central to the fight.

While there is a law banning domestic abusers with restraining orders from purchasing firearms, there are far too many potential loopholes for abusers to still access firearms. For starters, in 30 states there is no law stating that dating partners of whom do not share a child, live together, or have been married have any protection against their abusers right to purchase firearms. Another 31 states have yet to recognize convicted stalking charges as reason for gun purchase prohibition. There needs to be a comprehensive policy that focuses on protecting all domestic violence survivors from their abuser, no matter the technicality of their relationship or the form of abuse.

Two other alarming loopholes that must be fixed are the turnover of firearms after abuse conviction, and the background check process time. 34 states have yet to require a convicted abuser to surrender their existing firearm. As for the sales of guns from licensed sellers, it is still law under the Brady Bill, that all gun sales must be processed within three days, meaning that the passing of a background check does not take priority. Another implementation that would ideally save lives is to make sure survivors are notified when abusers attempt to purchase firearms. This is arguably a great indicator of potential danger and should fall under the duty of the government to protect their citizens.

It should also be noted Moms Demand Action and domestic violence survivors themselves are the leading advocates in this fight. The information above is only a brief outline of what is and isn’t being done regarding domestic violence and access to guns. More information and steps for actions can be found at EveryTown for Gun Safety’s website: https://everytownresearch.org/