Gabby Giffords: SCOTUS Must Disarm Domestic Violence
Washington DC — Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, founder of the gun violence prevention organization GIFFORDS, and its legal arm, GIFFORDS Law Center, released the following statement after oral arguments in United States v. Rahimi. Former Congresswoman Giffords participated in a rally at the Supreme Court steps. GIFFORDS Law Center submitted an amicus brief calling on the Supreme Court to protect survivors.
Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords:
“People subject to domestic violence restraining orders should not be able to access firearms. History and precedent allow for reasonable regulations of firearms. Women and children’s lives are worth more than an abusive partner’s right to own a gun. Lives are literally on the line with this decision, and I urge the court to do what is right.”
Esther Sanchez-Gomez, Litigation Director, GIFFORDS Law Center:
“Today, in open court, the Justices of the United States Supreme Court learned why domestic violence can and must be disarmed. We take many of our gun laws for granted, Justice Kagan noted during argument today, and the implications of ruling in Mr. Rahimi’s favor would be untenable. I am optimistic that they will decide this case with an eye toward upholding this commonsense, lifesaving law, as well as protecting many of the gun safety laws currently under scrutiny before courts across the country.
“The Second Amendment is entirely consistent with life-saving gun safety laws. The new history-focused constitutional test the Court announced last year does not change this. I hope the Justices will use US v. Rahimi as an opportunity to clarify that the Fifth Circuit’s opinion misreads last year’s Bruen decision. The Court should stand with survivors and others affected by our country’s gun violence epidemic and continue to uphold lifesaving gun safety laws that protect our right to life in addition to the right to bear arms.”
Christin Perry-Michalik, GIFFORDS Gun Owner for Safety:
“I have been a therapist for almost 20 years. In those 2 decades I have seen domestic violence impact families in all sorts of communities. I choose to own a gun to protect my family, but I also understand the responsibility of needing to remove that gun from my home if our situation changes. My gun is a tool of protection, not a tool of danger. I became an advocate for gun safety laws because I was losing sleep and crying over all the children and parents taken by gun violence. Too many of those were at the hands of someone they loved with a gun. But love should not kill. The Supreme Court must protect survivors.”
Vanessa N. Gonzalez, Vice President of Government and Political Affairs, GIFFORDS:
“What often gets lost in the conversation about who has access to a gun is that it can mean the difference between surviving domestic abuse or dying as a result. This is something that I have a unique understanding of due to my own experiences as a survivor. An individual who is subject to a domestic violence restraining order—which exists to prevent abusers from threatening an intimate partner or child—cannot and should not possess a firearm.”
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