Domestic violence abuse victims need more protections — not less stringent gun regulations
How long will it take, and how many more lives must be lost, before the crime of domestic abuse is taken seriously? Recently reported domestic homicides in Leonia, Hasbrouck Heights, Dumont and New Milford underscore the tragic loss of life. In fact, three women are killed by a current or former partner every day in the United States, on average.
The presence of a firearm in abusive relationships increases the risk of homicide by 500%, according to federal statistics. In more than half of cases where women were killed by their partners, guns were used as the weapon. Yet, on Nov. 7, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in United States v. Rahimi, a case that will decide whether the government can continue to prevent abusers with a restraining order from possessing firearms.
In 1996, New Jersey’s own Sen. Frank Lautenberg championed the increased protection for victims of domestic violence. The “Lautenberg Amendment,” officially called the Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban amendment to the Gun Control Act of 1968, secured restrictions at a time when the importance of protections for victims of domestic violence were only just beginning to be understood.
Domestic violence is always made up of one individual’s consistent efforts to maintain power and control over the other. And if the court strikes down this provision, abusers will be empowered to keep their guns — potentially allowing them to exact revenge on victims who report abuse.
When the Supreme Court struck down New York’s handgun licensing in June 2022, it did so in finding that the state’s approach was inconsistent with the country’s historical tradition of regulating firearms. As a result, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals then went back and issued a new opinion reasoning that Rahimi retained his right to bear arms under the Second Amendment, as gun possession for those who commit domestic violence was not historically restricted.
More: Supreme Court blocks parts of Missouri law that declared federal gun prohibitions 'invalid'
New Jersey’s most recent Uniform Crime Reports document 63,058 domestic violence offenses, a 6% increase by individuals who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders. As of 2022, approximately one in three women reported having experienced severe physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime. It is indisputable that rates of domestic abuse remain high.
We cannot stand by as federal courts rely on the historical subordination of women to strike down legal protections that have proved lifesaving to survivors of domestic violence. Our work must be to prevent future violence — not increase it.
Elizabeth Halverstam, Joan Ornstein and Paula Star are co-presidents of the National Council of Jewish Women Bergen County Section.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: United States vs. Rahimi: Some abusers shouldn't have guns
