The U.S. House of Representatives will soon vote to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), an important bill that will help prevent gun violence.
The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021 will work to disarm domestic abusers, including dating partners and stalkers. Right now, the dating partner and stalker loopholes in federal law allow certain domestic abusers to own and continue to buy firearms simply because they are not married, even though they are just as likely as spouses to kill their partner.
These loopholes are a death sentence to many American women. Our representatives must act.
Tell your U.S. representative: Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act >>
Dear Representative,
As your constituent, I urge you to vote YES on H.R. 1620, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021. This legislation contains important gun safety measures that will protect women and save lives.
Current federal law prohibits those convicted of, or under a restraining order for, abusing their partners from possessing guns, but only if they are married, live together, or have a child together. This legislation would update that to include abusive dating partners and stalkers. This legislation would also alert law enforcement when domestic abusers try to purchase a gun but fail a federal background check—a critical intervention tool.
The reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act is an important chance to strengthen our laws to protect women from deadly intimate partner gun violence. When a gun is present in a domestic violence situation, it's five times more likely that the woman will be killed by her abusive partner. Additionally, domestic violence homicides are as likely to be committed by dating partners as by spouses.
Domestic violence has been on the rise throughout the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, making this legislation more critical than ever. I urge you to protect women and vote yes on H.R. 1620.