Gabby Giffords & Garden State Advocates Call on Governor Chris Christie to Sign Bipartisan Bill to Help Keep Guns Out of the Hands of Domestic Abusers

April 7, 2016

April 7, 2016 – Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the Co-Founder of the gun violence prevention organization Americans for Responsible Solutions (ARS), and Garden State domestic violence prevention groups applauded the New Jersey legislature today for its bipartisan vote advancing legislation to help keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and called on Governor Chris Christie to sign it into law.

In a bipartisan vote today, the State Assembly approved legislation (S805/A1211) that establishes effective procedures that will provide guidance and assurance to law enforcement, victims, and advocates to help limit abusers’ access to guns. The bill, which had previously been approved by the New Jersey State Senate in a bipartisan vote, now heads to Governor Chris Christie’s desk.

“Like so many others around our country, New Jersey families know that guns and domestic violence are a deadly, tragic mix. New Jersey’s domestic violence survivors, advocates and public safety officials have long called for commonsense solutions to protect victims of domestic violence. And today, Republicans and Democrats came together to advance a bipartisan bill that will protect vulnerable families by closing the loopholes that let domestic abusers have easy access to guns,” said Congresswoman Giffords. “Today’s bipartisan vote puts the state one step closer to joining the growing list of states across the country who have taken responsible steps that makes it harder for domestic abusers to access guns. I hope that Governor Christie will follow in the footsteps of so many other Republican and Democratic governors across the country, sign this responsible, bipartisan bill into law, and make it harder for dangerous people to get their hands on guns.”

“This bill will help to strengthen our current firearms legislation that seeks to prevent perpetrators of domestic violence from maintaining and gaining access to firearms that put victims’ lives in danger,” said the New Jersey Coalition To End Domestic Violence. “Victims of domestic violence are five times more likely to be killed by a current or former abusive partner when the perpetrator of violence owns a firearm. From 2003 to 2012, 30.5 percent, nearly one third of victims of intimate partner homicide in New Jersey were killed by guns. By providing guidance to the courts and law enforcement this bill will help to address gaps that currently exist to improve upon the process with which firearms are seized, to ensure law enforcement access records documenting perpetrators’ firearm purchases and ownership, and to support information shared with victims allowing them to enhance their safety plans.”

S805/A1211 will strengthen New Jersey’s laws by:

Requiring domestic abusers to surrender all of their guns if a domestic violence restraining order is in effect, or if they’re convicted of a domestic violence offense;
Suspending the gun purchaser ID cards and permits of abusers;
Revoking such cards if an abuser is convicted of a domestic violence crime; and,
Requiring the cross-checking of records to determine if an abuser owns a firearm.

Last March, Congresswoman Giffords joined Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, Assemblywoman Gabriela Mosquera and leaders in New Jersey’s domestic violence prevention community at an event at the New Jersey State House to urge legislators to pass laws like this one that protect women and families from gun violence.

BACKGROUND ON THE NEXUS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DATING PARTNER ABUSE, STALKING, AND ACCESS TO FIREARMS

Women in the United States Are Eleven Times More Likely to be Murdered with a Gun Than Women in Other Developed Countries. More than half of all murders of America’s women are committed with a gun. [Centers for Disease Control, 2012] More than two-thirds of spouse and ex-spouse homicide victims between 1980 and 2008 were killed with firearms. [Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2011] In 2013, a gun was the most commonly used weapon in a murder of a woman by a man. [Violence Policy Center, 2015]

Guns and Domestic Abuse Are A Deadly Mix: Abused women in the United States are five times more likely to be killed by their abusers if that individual has access to a gun. [Centers for Disease Control, 2012]

Nearly Half of Murders by an Intimate Partner Are Committed by a Dating Partner – But the “Boyfriend Gap” in Federal Law Lets Abusive Dating Partners Access Guns: From 2009 to 2010, 48.6 percent of all intimate partner homicides were committed by a dating partner. [Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2011] Current federal law prohibits individuals convicted of domestic violence offenses from accessing firearms, including individuals who are a current or former spouse, parent, parent of a child in common, current or former cohabitant, or a personal similarly situated to a spouse, parent or guardian of the victim. But federal law does not include perpetrators who abused current or former dating partners from accessing guns. With more women choosing to marry later in life and live in non-cohabitating dating relationships, this gap leaves a significant number of abusers free to access firearms. [Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence]

Stalking Is A Strong Predictor of Future Violence – But the “Stalker Gap” in Federal Law Lets Some Convicted Stalkers Access Guns: Stalking is a strong precursor to escalating violence. One study of female murder victims in ten cities found that 76 percent of women murdered and 85 percent who survived a murder attempt by a current or former intimate partner experienced stalking in the year preceding the murder. [Homicide Studies, 1999] Under current federal law, individuals convicted of felony stalking offenses are prohibited from accessing guns. But individuals convicted of misdemeanor stalking offenses are not prohibited from accessing guns. Closing the “stalker gap” in federal law would help ensure that all individuals convicted of stalking offenses are prohibited from accessing firearms. [Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence]

In the Face of Inaction in Congress, Blue, Purple and Red States Are Enacting Laws to Close These Loopholes and Limit Abusers’ and Stalkers’ Access to Guns. While each state has taken a distinct approach to strengthening laws that address gun violence against women, state leaders are addressing major gaps in federal law to help protect vulnerable women and families. At least 12 states have updated their laws to prohibit people convicted of violent misdemeanors against dating partners from possessing firearms. And 25 states prohibit gun possession by at least some people subject to protective orders for dating partners. In the last two years, leaders from both parties have enacted legislation addressing the often lethal mix of domestic violence and access to firearms in a number of states, including Alabama , Louisiana , Nevada , Oregon , South Carolina , Vermont , Washington , Wisconsin , and Delaware .

Americans from Both Parties Support Legislation Limiting Abusers’ and Stalkers’ Access to Guns. According to research conducted in June 2015, 82 percent of Americans – including 82 percent of Republicans – say they would support legislation that helps keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and stalkers. [Public Policy Polling]