House votes to expand gun control for domestic abusers News
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House votes to expand gun control for domestic abusers

The US House of Representatives voted on Thursday to amend the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, expanding gun control for those convicted of domestic abuse by closing the so-called “boyfriend loophole.”

The resolution, HR 1585, passed by a vote of 263-158. The legislation expands law enforcement’s authority to prohibit “any perpetrator of any offense of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking” from purchasing firearms. Currently, the federal law prohibiting gun ownership only extends to those convicted of domestic violence if the offender was married to their victim or if they had a child with their victim. The new legislation aims to foreclose the exceptions to the current legislation.

Prior to the vote, the National Rifle Association had campaigned against the bill. A version of the legislation is currently working its way through the Senate, where it is unclear if the gun provisions will pass.

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