STATEMENT: CAP’s Chelsea Parsons on Supreme Court’s Decision on Law Prohibiting Domestic Abusers from Possessing Guns

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Supreme Court issued a decision in United States v. Castleman unanimously rejecting a challenge to the federal law prohibiting domestic abusers from possessing guns. Center for American Progress Associate Director for Crime and Firearms Policy Chelsea Parsons issued the following statement reacting to the decision:

The Supreme Court’s unanimous decision today confirms what is basic common sense: Guns and domestic abusers are a deadly mix. The presence of a gun in a household with a history of domestic violence increases by 20 times the risk that a woman will be murdered, and the court’s decision today will ensure that a broad category of domestic abusers will be prevented from possessing guns. To truly keep guns out of the hands of dangerous abusers and stalkers, however, Congress must act to pass universal background checks legislation and Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s (D-MN) Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act.

Related resource:

• Preventing Domestic Abusers and Stalkers from Accessing Guns by Winnie Stachelberg, Arkadi Gerney, Chelsea Parsons, and Megan Knauss

To speak to an expert, contact Anne Shoup at [email protected] or at 202.481.7146.

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