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Today, nearly 500 clergy members, faith leaders and national faith-based organizations added their support to the bipartisan Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abusers Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Representatives Debbie Dingell (MI-12) and Robert Dold (IL-10) to protect survivors of dating violence and stalking by closing loopholes that allow abusers and stalkers to access guns. The Interfaith Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence joined a number of leading domestic violence and advocacy organizations that have endorsed the bill, including the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Americans for Responsible Solutions, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, Everytown for Gun Safety, and the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

“We are grateful for the support of the Interfaith Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and the millions of congregations and constituents they represent across the country,” said Rep. Dingell. “No matter your faith, religion, or political persuasion, we can all agree that every woman deserves to live free from fear or intimidation. Working together, I know we can move this critical legislation across the finish line, protect women, and ultimately save lives.”

“Nobody should ever live in fear for their life or safety, especially because of domestic violence,” Rep. Dold said. “There is broad support for the Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abusers Act because keeping families safe is clearly something that is important to everybody.  Together, we can pass this commonsense bill and save lives.”  

“The Interfaith Coalition has been a leading voice within the faith community to end domestic and sexual violence," said Jewish Women International CEO Lori Weinstein. "As the convener of the Coalition, we work together to lift up the diverse voices of more than three dozen national faith organizations. The letter, signed by nearly 500 clergy and faith leaders throughout the country, amplifies our message that regardless of the relationship you are in – all survivors deserve the same protections.” 

“As clergy members, faith leaders, and national faith-based organizations representing a diverse range of religious traditions, we believe that every person has the right to live free from violence and we are committed to fostering safe homes and communities,” members of the Interfaith Coalition wrote in their letter to members of Congress. “Domestic violence, dating abuse, and stalking are extreme violations of the dignity and humanity of a person, and these crimes have no place in our faith traditions. Wherever we see these crimes occurring, we must speak out, and when there is an opportunity to act, we must act.”

To read the full letter, please click here. To learn more about the Interfaith Coalition, please click here.

The Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abusers Act 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:

1.    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 from getting guns. 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, plain and simple.
2.    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.

Since 2008, states have enacted over 30 new laws addressing the nexus of access to guns and domestic violence. In 2014 alone, six states enacted laws to protect domestic violence victims: Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Washington, and Wisconsin. In 2015, leaders in Alabama, Delaware, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont and Washington have also passed similar legislation to protect women and families from abusers with guns. 

The Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abusers Act would make these protections the national standard. For more information on the bill, please click here.