On the recordOctober 28, 2015
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This month is a time for all of us to examine the work that must be done so that every American can live free from the fear of domestic violence. All of us would do well this month to consider the destructive role that guns can and do play in incidents of domestic violence. From 2001 until 2012, 6,410 women were killed by a gun wielded by an intimate partner. That number is nearly 1,100 more than the total number of American soldiers who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan over the same time period. Despite this fact, many domestic abusers can still legally purchase a gun. There is no Federal prohibition to prevent the sale of a gun to someone convicted of a misdemeanor crime in a dating partner relationship or someone convicted of misdemeanor stalking offenses. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act, which Congresswoman Lois Capps has introduced, to close these loopholes immediately. Let's get to work to end this epidemic and protect the lives of women across our country during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. ____________________
