The Supreme Court recently decided on the controversial United States vs. Rahimi case, voting 8-1 in favor of federal laws which prohibit abusers with a domestic violence restraining order from possessing a firearm.
In 2023, a Fifth Circuit Court appeal challenged the existing federal protections, arguing that abusers based in states like Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana still had a right to own firearms under the Second Amendment. This appeal was listed as United States vs. Rahimi, referencing a Texas man named Zackey Rahimi who, back in 2020, violated a restraining order filed by his then-girlfriend and shot at a bystander who witnessed an altercation between them. Rahimi is currently serving a six-year sentence in a federal prison after he pled guilty to violating the restraining order.
The Court’s decision was undoubtedly influenced by an amicus brief filed by The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) and the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence (DCCADV). In the brief, both organizations urged the Court to recognize and acknowledge the specific dangers domestic violence abusers with access to guns pose to their victims.
More information on the Court’s decision is available via a press release posted by the NNEDV.
