Take guns out of the hands of domestic abusers
An editorial opinion from LNP Newspaper in Lancaster:
It’s become something of a ritual now.
A mass shooting takes place in America – at a school, concert, movie theater, mall, a church. The nation freezes in horror. We grieve – for ever-shorter periods of time, because this happens so often.
Then we argue over why the shooting happened. We get nowhere.
One trait seems common among mass shooters: Many are domestic abusers.
According to a study by Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety, 54 percent of the mass shootings between 2009 and 2016 were related to domestic or family violence.
In Pennsylvania, it’s up to a judge to decide whether the recipient of a protection from abuse order should relinquish his guns – and if relinquishment is decreed, the person served with the PFA is given 24 hours to comply. We think the 24-hour deadline is arbitrary and unnecessary, and that relinquishment shouldn’t be left to the discretion of a judge.
The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence also believes it’s far too easy under current law for convicted abusers to get access to firearms, said spokesman Matt Kemeny.
Pennsylvania Senate Bill 501 would prohibit domestic violence abusers subject to a final PFA from possessing guns. That bill has been parked in the Senate Judiciary Committee since March.
It seems more imperative than ever that it be moved out of committee.
Domestic violence is just one piece of the puzzle of mass violence. But it’s a piece that must not be overlooked.