[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 125 (Friday, September 30, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S10794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND GUNS

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, earlier this week the Violence Policy 
Center released its annual study of homicide data titled ``When Men 
Murder Women.'' This year's study analyzed homicide data from 2003, the 
most recent available, that involved one female victim and one male 
offender.
  The VPC found that in 2003, the majority of women who were murdered 
were killed with a firearm. In the overwhelming majority of these 
cases, 77 percent in fact, the male offender used a handgun. The VPC 
report also revealed that more than ten times as many females were 
murdered by a man they knew than were killed by a stranger. Of these, 
62 percent were in an intimate relationship or married to their killer. 
According to the report, ``Most often, females were killed by males in 
the course of an argument.'' These statistics illustrate the tragic 
role firearms play in domestic violence disputes that escalate into 
murder.
  As my colleagues know, since 1968 it has been illegal for convicted 
felons, illegal aliens, individuals involuntarily committed to a mental 
health facility, individuals who have renounced their citizenship, drug 
addicts, those dishonorably discharged from the military, and fugitives 
to possess or purchase a firearm. In 1996, we extended the law to the 
prohibition on firearms to individuals who were under a domestic 
violence restraining order and those who had previously been convicted 
of a domestic violence misdemeanor.
  Unfortunately, these efforts continue to be undermined by Congress' 
failure to close the ``gun show loophole.'' Under current law, when an 
individual buys a firearm from a licensed dealer, there are Federal 
requirements for a background check to insure that the purchaser is not 
prohibited by law from purchasing or possessing a firearm. However, 
this is not the case for all gun purchases. For example, when an 
individual wants to buy a firearm from another private citizen who is 
not a licensed gun dealer, there is no requirement that the seller 
ensure the purchaser is not in a prohibited category. This creates a 
loophole in the law, providing prohibited purchasers, including those 
who have previously been convicted of domestic violence crimes, with 
potential easy access to dangerous firearms. Such firearms could later 
be used to murder a wife or girlfriend in a moment of rage or jealousy.
  The VPC demonstrates that the Congress should do more to help protect 
women from gun violence. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of 
funding for domestic violence prevention programs as well as 
legislation to close the gun show loophole.

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