Lawmakers Aim To End 'Boyfriend Loophole,' Keep Guns From Abusers
Source: Huffington Post
Democratic lawmakers are renewing their push for a bill that would prevent convicted stalkers and abusers from buying or owning guns, closing the so-called “boyfriend loophole” that leaves many victims of domestic abuse vulnerable to further violence from current or former partners.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) introduced the Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act on Tuesday morning, shared first with HuffPost.
“As a former prosecutor, I have seen firsthand the serious emotional and physical toll domestic violence and stalking can take on victims, and I know that many fear not only for their own lives but also the safety of their loved ones,” Klobuchar said in a press statement, adding that this is “a common sense step that will save lives.”
The Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act aims to end what is commonly referred to as the “boyfriend loophole,” which historically has allowed convicted domestic abusers to buy or own firearms. Research shows that access to a gun makes it five times more likely that an abusive partner will kill his female victim. Nearly half of all women killed in the U.S. are murdered by a current or former intimate partner, according to the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence. And 76% of women who were murdered by intimate partners were first stalked by that partner.
Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/lawmakers-aim-to-end-boyfriend-loophole-keep-guns-from-abusers-154627493.html
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