Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Gun Possession for Domestic Abusers: A Critical Win for Safety and Justice
For Immediate Release
June 21, 2024
Contact:
John Kelley
917-679-6475
Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Gun Possession for Domestic Abusers: A Critical Win for Safety and Justice
Newtown, CT — June 21, 2024 — In a landmark decision today, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal law prohibiting individuals under domestic violence restraining orders from possessing firearms. The 8-1 ruling in United States v. Rahimi solidifies crucial legal protections against a significant source of gun violence in America.
This decision ensures that dangerous domestic abusers like Zackey Rahimi are prevented from legally owning guns. Rahimi, a drug dealer with multiple instances of violence, challenged this prohibition - 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8) - as unconstitutional. The Supreme Court's firm stance today rejects this challenge and upholds the federal ban.
Po Murray, Chairwoman of Newtown Action Alliance stated, "My mother would not be alive today if my father was able to possess firearms after many violent domestic violence incidents. Today's decision is a victory for the safety of countless domestic violence victims and their families nationwide. By upholding this crucial federal law, the Supreme Court has affirmed that the rights of survivors to live without fear of being shot is a basic constitutional right. The gun lobby's any guns to anyone everywhere agenda must not override our fundamental right to safety.”
She continued, “This ruling comes as a relief to those of us advocating for stricter gun control, particularly in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Trump-appointed extreme conservative majority undermining gun control regulations in last week’s Garland, Attorney General, et al. v. Cargill and 2022 New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen decisions. The dangerous Cargill decision overturned a Trump-era ban on bump stocks, the rapid-fire gun accessories used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The controversial Bruen decision allowed for broader public carry of handguns, suggesting that restrictions must align with historical firearms regulations from the 18th century. Today's decision in Rahimi ensures that a radical historical interpretation does not dismantle essential protections for domestic violence survivors. The decision also does not negate the need for Congress to pass The Judiciary Act of 2023 to address the court imbalance by expanding the number of justices on the Supreme Court.”
The case of Zackey Rahimi, a drug dealer who abused his girlfriend and was involved in multiple shootings, highlighted the dangers of allowing domestic abusers access to firearms. His challenge to the federal ban posed a significant threat to public safety, but the Supreme Court's decision today firmly protects the domestic violence victims who are at risk.
There is a deadly link between domestic violence and firearms. Women are five times more likely to be killed if the domestic abuser is armed with a firearm. In 2013, firearms were used in over 50% of murders involving intimate partners and between 2014 and 2019, two-thirds of mass shootings were connected to domestic violence incidents. Women of color, pregnant women, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities face higher risks.
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Newtown Action Alliance (http://alliance.newtownaction.org/) is a Newtown-based, national grassroots organization formed after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings. Our mission is to achieve the steady and continuous reduction of gun violence through legislative and cultural changes.