Contact:
Beth Parker
Beth.parker@apainc.org
For Immediate Release
The Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA) Issues Statement on SCOTUS Decision Barring Domestic Violence Offenders from Possessing a Gun
June 21, 2004| Washington, DC–“The Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA) applauds the United States Supreme Court for upholding a federal law barring those subject to a domestic violence protective order from possessing a gun. Guns and domestic violence present an especially deadly combination, as articulated in our amicus brief, filed in partnership with additional associations of prosecuting attorneys and law enforcement officers and a major prosecutor’s office. Prosecutors depend on 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8) and similar state laws to help protect victims, their families, third parties, and the public at large by temporarily removing firearms from domestic violence perpetrators who have proven to be dangerous.
The Supreme Court’s near unanimous decision will help guard the safety of domestic violence victims, their families, the public at large, as well as law enforcement officers responding to domestic violence calls. We commend the Supreme Court for upholding Section 922(g)(8) and correctly ruling that Congress acted lawfully by restricting access to firearms for persons subject to domestic violence protective orders.”