Bipartisan Bills Would Close Dangerous Gaps in State Law by Prohibiting Convicted Domestic Abusers from Possessing Firearms
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month; Research Shows That Access to a Firearm Makes it Five Times More Likely an Abusive Partner Will Kill Their Female Victim
LANSING, Michigan — The Michigan chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statements after Senators Stephanie Chang and Wayne Schmidt (R-37) and Representatives Daire Rendon (R-103rd) and Amos O’Neal (D-95th) introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen domestic violence protections in Michigan. Currently, Michigan law does not prohibit domestic abusers from possessing guns. Senate Bills 678 and 679, and House Bills 5371 and 5372 would close this dangerous gap by prohibiting individuals convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence crimes from purchasing or possessing firearms.
“My daughter was shot and killed by an intimate partner, and while no action can undo the pain my family has gone through, these bipartisan bills would help create a better future where no family has to experience what mine has,” said Rick Omilian, a volunteer with the Michigan chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We are grateful to live in a state with lawmakers who will stand up and take action to protect victims of domestic violence and intimate partner violence and we urge our legislature to pass them into law to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and make our state a safer place.”
“We are grateful for the Michigan lawmakers who worked across the aisle to introduce critical legislation to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers,” said Megan Dombrowski, a volunteer with Students Demand Action in Detroit, Michigan. “Domestic violence affects Michiganders of all ages, including young people who may bear witness to an act of domestic violence or be personally involved in an abusive relationship themselves. If the legislature chooses to stand up and pass this meaningful piece of legislation, lives will be saved.”
When domestic abusers have access to guns, the effects can be deadly — particularly for Black, American Indian/Alaska Native women and Latinas, who experience higher rates of intimate partner violence and gun homicide. Research shows that access to a firearm makes it five times more likely an abusive partner will kill their female victim. Prohibiting convicted misdemeanor domestic abusers from possessing firearms closes a dangerous loophole at the state level and protects victims and survivors of domestic abuse by keeping guns out of the hands of abusers.
More information about domestic violence and gun violence in Michigan:
- From 2015-2019, 91 women were shot and killed by an intimate partner in Michigan.
- 66 percent of female intimate partner homicide victims in Michigan are killed with a gun.
- Women made up 80% of all intimate partner homicide firearm victims from 2015-2019.
- 1,212 people die and 3,507 people are wounded by guns in an average year in Michigan.
- Gun deaths in Michigan have increased 11 percent from 2010 to 2019.
- Gun violence costs Michigan $9.1 billion each year, of which $422.6 million is paid by taxpayers.