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June 21, 2024 - The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) applauds the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today in United States v. Rahimi to uphold the federal statute that prohibits individuals subject to a domestic violence restraining order from possessing a firearm. Last year, NIWRC filed an amicus brief as part of our VAWA Sovereignty Initiative, urging the Court to uphold these protections to keep abusers from accessing guns. 

"Survivors are often in the most danger when they attempt to leave an abuser or when they receive an order of protection, so prohibiting the possession of a firearm for those subject to a domestic violence protection order is a critical safeguard. Today, the Supreme Court ruled 8 to 1 to maintain protections necessary for the safety of survivors everywhere,” said Lucy R. Simpson, Executive Director, NIWRC.  “We must now work to fully address gaps in protections for survivors by closing the boyfriend/dating partner loophole, which currently allows dating partners subject to protection orders to possess firearms."

American Indian and Alaska Native women experience the highest rates of violence in the country, with 4 in 5 women experiencing violence in their lifetime. Firearms are the most common cause of intimate partner violence homicide injury for AI/AN people. The protections the Supreme Court upheld today will save lives and make Native communities safer.

“We are breathing a sigh of relief in Indian Country today,” states Mary Kathryn Nagle, counsel to NIWRC and co-author of the NIWRC amicus brief. “As we await the full restoration of our inherent jurisdiction to prosecute all crimes committed on Tribal lands, federal laws like this particular federal firearm prohibition are critical to keeping our Native women and children safe.”