Opinion: Protecting domestic abuse victims from gun violence is a necessity

Violence against dating partners and family members continues to be a critical public health issue in the state and across the country.

This violence doesn’t end with the victim or survivor—it harms their loved ones and undermines the safety and wellbeing of our communities. Addressing this crisis is a responsibility we all share.

This year, Virginia lawmakers can better protect victims and survivors of domestic violence throughout the Commonwealth. 

There is an urgent need to enact legislation that strengthens our state’s domestic violence and firearms laws, prioritizing the safety of victims and survivors and the wellbeing of our communities, instead of providing access to firearms for dangerous abusers. While meaningful progress has been made over the last decade to address the deadly intersection of domestic violence and firearms, we have yet to fully actualize the promise of these protections. 

Gaps in current law create dangerous opportunities for abusers to potentially evade restrictions and regain access to their firearms. In 2024, 23,000 Virginians, including 4,000 children, received domestic violence advocacy services. Researchers found that women experiencing domestic abuse are five times more likely to be killed by a male partner when there is a firearm in the home. In Virginia, 2022 data from the CDC shows that there were at least 120 domestic violence-related homicides. Of those, 65% used a firearm. We must stop turning a blind eye to this public health emergency to prevent further loss of life. Strengthening Virginia’s domestic violence and gun safety laws will help protect potential victims through a stronger, more effective legal framework.  Keeping our families and communities safe means disarming dangerous abusers. 

Two bills are on the table that would immediately make Virginia safer. SB38/HB93 would require abusers to surrender their firearms to someone 21 or older, who does not live with them, rather than permitting them to be handed over to someone living in the same home. This loophole in the existing policy means firearms may remain immediately accessible to dangerous people subject to domestic violence protective orders. If someone with firearms is served with a domestic violence protection order, they will need to give the court the name and address of the person they surrender their firearms to, enabling law enforcement to verify if they were actually surrendered. The bill would also create accountability to make sure those convicted of misdemeanor assault and battery against family or household members transfer their firearms too. 

An additional bill, HB19/SB160 would also ensure that individuals convicted of assault and battery against current or former dating partners cannot purchase, possess or transport a firearm for three years. The current law applies only to individuals convicted of felony assault and battery against family or household members, limiting the scope of protection for individuals experiencing violence at the hands of their partners. 

We fail victims and survivors of domestic violence when we prioritize protecting abusers—and their access to firearms—over the people that they harm. The evidence is overwhelming: when domestic abusers have access to firearms, their violent behavior becomes lethal. In years past, former Gov. Glenn Youngkin neglected his responsibility to properly protect Virginians from harm. Today, with our new Governor Abigail Spanberger, we have a renewed opportunity to better ensure that dangerous domestic abusers are disarmed. The choice is clear, and the time is now.