NATIONAL COALITION OF 100 BLACK WOMEN, Inc.

REQUEST

Background

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1) Repeal the Dickey Amendment. 2) Support the following Domestic Violence legislation: Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act of 2015; the Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act; and the Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abusers Act.

Firearms have emerged as a leading cause of death for Americans, claiming 33,636 lives annually.

The Dickey Amendment The Dickey amendment effectively barred research by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on gun violence and its effects on public health for the past 20 years. The amendment’s author, former Rep. Jay Dickey (R-Ark.), stated in a 2012 op-ed in the Washington Post that the lack of research by the CDC and the NIH has resulted in a troubling information gap: “US scientists cannot answer the most basic question: What works to prevent firearm injuries? We don’t know whether having more citizens carry guns would decrease or increase firearm deaths; or whether firearm registration and licensing would make inner-city residents safer or expose them to greater harm.”

If there is no research, it is difficult to determine the effectiveness of specific polices to prevent gun violence. This is why the National Coalition of 100 Black Women lends their voice in support with the nine medical associations, 2,000 physicians, dozens of lawmakers, and even the author of the amendment calling on Congress to repeal the Dickey Amendment and once again allow gun violence to be investigated as a public health issue.

Gun Violence and Black WomenGun violence and domestic violence are tragically interrelated. According to the latest study by the Violence Policy Center, 1,600 women were murdered by men in single victim/single offender incidents in 2013. Of those 1,600 murders, 453 (28%) were Black women, despite Black women making up only 13% of the female population. Black women were murdered at a rate two and a half times higher than White women: 2.36 per 100,000 versus 0.95 per 100,000.

The overwhelming majority of homicides of Black women were not related to any other felony crime. 92% of Black women killed knew their killers. 56% of the time, she was the wife, ex-wife or girlfriend of her killer. The study does not account for ex-girlfriends, a fact that would make that percentage higher. Black women are more likely to be killed by a spouse, an intimate acquaintance, or a family member than by a stranger.

Firearms, especially handguns, were the most common weapon used to murder Black women. When the weapon could be identified, 57% of Black female victims were shot and killed with guns. Within that group, 77% were killed with a handgun.

To reduce lethal violence against Black women, it is essential to keep guns away from domestic abusers. The National Coalition of 100 Black Women urges Congress to adopt stronger legislation to protect victims of domestic violence and ensure that guns are surrendered by or removed from the presence of abusers.

GUN VIOLENCE &PREVENTION

Gun Violence Legal Reference

NATIONAL COALITION OF 100 BLACK WOMEN, Inc.

The Dickey Amendment (1996): Tacked onto a 1996 appropriations bill, the Dickey Amendment was pushed through Congress by Republican legislators under substantial pressure from the National Rifle Association (NRA). The Amend-ment, authored by Former Rep. Jay Dickey (R-Ark.), states: “None of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control.” In 2011, congressional Republicans further restricted funding by applying the Dickey Amendment to the National Institutes of Health.

Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act of 2015 (S. 1520): Sponsored by Senator Klobuchar (D-MN), this bill would expand the protections granted to spouses under domestic and family violence laws to also include intimate partners and dating partners. It would also expand the definition of “misdemeanor crime of domestic violence” to include when a current or former intimate partner attempts to use physical force or a deadly weapon on their significant other. As the law stands today, people with convictions of “misdemeanor domestic violence” are prohibited from purchasing firearms. By expanding the definition of this crime, this legislation would be adding convicted stalkers to the list of people who are not allowed to buy firearms. This bill also bans people from selling or giving firearms (or ammunition) to a person they know (or have reasonable suspicion to believe) has been convicted of domestic violence.

Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act (S. 2483): Sponsored by Senator Blumenthal (D-CT), focuses on prohibiting perpetrators of domestic violence served with emergency orders of protection from owning firearms. Lori Jackson, a mother of two, fled her home in Connecticut and her estranged husband. Although a judge granted her an emergency order of protection, this order did not prevent her abuser from legally owning the gun that ended her life. Because abusers are often deadliest when victims attempt to leave, this bill will provide protection for victims at the most dangerous time.

The Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abusers Act (H.R. 3130): Sponsored by Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Robert Dold (R-IL), makes two commonsense updates to federal law to address existing loopholes that make it easy for perpetrators of dating violence and those convicted of misdemeanor stalking to legally access guns. The bill would:

• Ensure people who have abused dating partners are prohibited from buying or owning firearms: Current federal law prohibits someone from owning a gun if they are convicted of abusing a spouse, someone they live with, or someone they have a child with. But federal law does not include people who have abused a current or former dating partner. Abuse of a dating partner is as unacceptable as domestic abuse.

• Close the loophole that lets some convicted stalkers access guns: This legislation clarifies existing law to make clear that convicted stalkers cannot legally purchase a firearm. Stalking is a sadly accurate predictor of future violence. One study of female murder victims found that 76 percent of women murdered by a current or former intimate partner experienced stalking in the year preceding the murder.

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GUN VIOLENCE &PREVENTION