People who prefer tighter gun controls are trying a new approach: adding gun restrictions linked to domestic violence.
A proposed South Carolina law would require someone convicted of domestic violence to turn over his or her gun to the county sheriff. A Missouri law would add “dating partners” to those covered by this type of law.
During the last year at least twelve states have proposed legislation that would make it harder for a person accused or convicted of domestic violence to have a firearm.
People supporting these new laws cite statistics showing a connection between guns and domestic violence. According to the FBI, 61% of women murdered with guns in the United States were killed by a male companion.
As you might expect the NRA cited research which showed that laws banning guns for those under a restraining order or convicted of domestic violence have a “substantively insignificant” effect on domestic violence.
