After years of relentless advocacy, Congress has finally passed a bipartisan reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that President Biden will sign into law. This progress is incredibly important for women, children, and survivors of domestic abuse. It builds on the work the President started when he helped write the original law decades ago.
But there’s still more our elected leaders must do to disarm domestic abusers.
There’s overwhelming evidence in support of addressing the dating partner loophole. Every month in our country, 70 women are shot and killed by their intimate partners, and women are just as likely to be killed by dating partners as they are by spouses.
But for years, the NRA has spun the fable that women who denounce abusive dating partners are lying about them just to take their guns away. The NRA wants you to think women are killed by shadowy intruders breaking into their homes; in reality, women overwhelmingly die at the hands of men they know.
To make matters worse, some GOP senators sided with the gun lobby, making sure that any attempts to address the dating partner loophole were not included in VAWA. They’ve made it clear who they really work for—and it isn’t women.
I’m grateful to have a gun sense champion in the White House, because we have the chance for real, meaningful action. President Biden should not hesitate to prove yet again his commitment to protecting women and children from domestic abuse. He should act—gun lobby be damned.
I look forward to celebrating President Biden finishing the job by fully enforcing long-standing law and addressing this deadly dating partner loophole.
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is a campaign of Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund. As a movement of Americans fighting for commonsense gun policies, we depend on contributions from supporters like you to fund important work to reduce gun violence.
Paid for by Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund. Contributions to Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund are not tax-deductible.
