Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) today joined 45 of her colleagues in writing a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the Department of Justice to strengthen the effectiveness of federal and state domestic violence laws that prohibit the possession of firearms by domestic abusers.

The letter, led by Congressman Eric Swalwell (CA-15), calls on the Department of Justice to improve relinquishment laws through increased education and grant funding. These laws reduce the rates of violence, including homicides, for domestic partners, law enforcement, and in mass shootings.

Domestic violence remains a persistent threat to many Americans––particularly women––and firearm ownership can often escalate abuses and turn deadly. The risk of intimate partner homicide is five times greater if an abuser has access to a firearm. Increasing education and funding will vastly improve domestic firearm violence.

“Access to a firearm drastically increases the rates of violence against women and intimate partner homicides. Fueled by the stresses of the pandemic and an unprecedented surge in gun sales, we have seen incidents of domestic violence rise as people spend more time with their abusers and stresses compound,” said Rep. Scanlon. “The federal government has the tools to address this issue — we need the Department of Justice to strengthen those available tools to make them more effective. Federal and state domestic violence laws require abusers to relinquish firearms, but additional guidance, support, and funding are needed to ensure that they are consistently implemented. With increased education and grant funding, the DOJ can help reduce domestic violence and intimate partner homicide rates.”

“U.S. domestic violence is rampant and it has only been exacerbated during the pandemic,” said Rep. Swalwell. “States without relinquishment laws or those which are not adequately enforced experience far greater intimate partner homicides. We need uniform guidance and additional grant funding to prevent guns from remaining in the hands of domestic abusers.”

“It is dangerous and absurd that convicted domestic abusers – who are barred from gun ownership – still have access to guns,” said Rep. Cicilline “Implementing these policies, and making sure that any firearms in an abuser’s possession are taken away, must be a priority for local law enforcement and the DOJ. Our failure to do so is killing people.”

“Domestic violence and gun violence are inextricably intertwined—violence is far more deadly when it occurs in a household with a gun. Sadly, every month in this country, on average, 70 American women are shot to death by an intimate partner and many more are injured. With stronger measures in place to enforce existing laws and educate the public about these risks, we can help save lives,” said Rep. McBath. “Strengthening these laws will empower the fight against gun violence, help protect our communities, and keep every American safer in their homes. I’m proud to help lead this effort alongside my colleagues.”

“Fully confronting the gun violence crisis means disarming domestic abusers,” said Rep. Raskin. “Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen alarming increases in violence against women and in intimate partner homicides. I worked to promote strong relinquishment policy in my time as a Maryland State Senator, and I’m happy to join my colleague Rep. Swalwell in working in Congress to strengthen relinquishment policies across the country. I salute him for his leadership.”   

“Domestic violence affects one in four women nationwide, and when abusers have access to guns, these attacks often turn deadly,” said Rep. Ross. “Today, I am proud to join my colleagues to urge the Department of Justice to do everything within its power to keep dangerous firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers. This is just the latest effort in our fight against gun violence, and I will not stop pushing for commonsense solutions to protect women’s safety.”

“Domestic abusers use firearms to terrorize, to control, to injure, and to kill,” said Ruth M. Glenn, President/CEO of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). “Many abusers are prohibited under federal, state, or tribal law or pursuant to a protective order from having firearms, but in far too many cases, there is no process by which an adjudicated abuser must relinquish their firearms. NCADV applauds Representative Swalwell’s leadership in encouraging the Department of Justice to expand its role in ensuring abusers who are prohibited from having firearms actually get rid of them.”

“The presence of a gun in a home with a history of domestic violence increases the risk of homicide by 500 percent, while too often individuals who have been prohibited by a court from possessing guns are able to keep them. Right now, states have laws in place to facilitate relinquishment of those firearms, but they need more resources to protect survivors of domestic violence,” said Brady President, Kris Brown. “The Attorney General can and should address the deadly intersection of guns and domestic violence by directing grants and education around laws that assist in removing firearms from these volatile situations. These public health solutions will help save lives. Brady thanks Rep. Swalwell for leading and championing this important effort.”

"Guns and domestic abusers are a deadly combination for women, which is why we must do everything in our power to get guns out of their hands to save lives," said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. "We appreciate Rep. Swalwell working to unlock critical funding to help our nation’s law enforcement keep women safe and disarm domestic abusers."

Joining Rep. Swalwell and Rep. Scanlon on the letter are Reps. Auchincloss, Barragan, Blumenauer, Bonamici, Bordeaux, Brown, Carson, Casten, Castro, Cicilline, Cleaver III, Connolly, Cooper, Costa, Crist, DeGette, DeSaulnier, Espaillat, Foster, García, Grijalva, Hayes, Himes, Holmes Norton, Kelly, Kildee, Larson, Lofgren, Maloney, Manning, McBath, McCollum, Meng, Moore, Neguse, Peters, Raskin, Ross, Roybal-Allard, Schakowsky, Titus, Vargas, Watson Coleman, and Wilson.

The letter is supported by the Brady: United Against Gun Violence, Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action, Guns Down America, and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Find the full text of the House letter here.

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