Mike Levin: “since 1968 it has been illegal for convicted felons, illegal aliens, individuals involuntarily committed to a mental…”

“since 1968 it has been illegal for convicted felons, illegal aliens, individuals involuntarily committed to a mental health facility, individuals who have renounced their citizenship, drug addicts, those dishonorably discharged from the military, and fugitives who possess or purchase a firearm. In 1996, Congress passed legislation to extend the prohibition on firearms to individuals who were under a domestic violence restraining order or convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor. I supported that legislation because of growing evidence that people who had committed acts of domestic violence were buying guns and using them. According to the Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, 40 percent of women killed with firearms are murdered by an intimate partner. According to a Violence Policy Center analysis, a woman is 14 times more likely to be murdered by a spouse, intimate acquaintance or close relative if there has been a history of domestic violence. And, having one or more guns in the home makes a woman more than seven times more likely to be the victim of homicide. The threat posed by some domestic abusers was highlighted by a Federal court case, Emerson v. United States. Timothy Joe Emerson was subject to a domestic violence restraining order that required him to stay away from his wife and her young daughter. Because of the restraining order, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm.”