Kaine Statement on Supreme Court Decision Upholding Restrictions on Gun Ownership for Domestic Abusers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), released the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Rahimi, which upheld a federal law barring individuals under a domestic violence restraining order (DVRO) from possessing firearms:

"I'm glad that the Supreme Court has upheld this critical law protecting domestic violence survivors. It's important to ensure that abusers don't have access to firearms, which is why I'm a cosponsor ofseveral bills to strengthen background checks, extreme risk protection orders, and other common-sense measures."

Kaine and his colleagues filed an amicus brief in this case in August 2023 opposing Mr. Rahimi's challenge to the law prohibiting individuals under DVROs from having firearms.

Kaine has long championed efforts to prevent gun violence. Kaine most recently cosponsored the BUMP Act, which would ban bump stocks, devices that turn semiautomatic weapons into machine guns by increasing their rate of fire, and the GOSAFE Act, which would regulate semiautomatic weapons, machine gun conversion devices, and large-capacity magazines. In April, on the 17^th anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting, Kaine introduced the Virginia Plan to Reduce Gun Violence Act, legislation to federally enact a series of common-sense gun violence prevention measures adopted by Virginia that would mandate reporting of lost and stolen firearms, prevent children from accessing firearms, and implement a one-handgun-a-month policy. In 2022, Kaine also supported the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, landmark legislation passed in the wake of the horrific mass shootings in Uvalde, TX and Buffalo, NY to improve background checks, strengthen safeguards for victims of domestic violence, and create incentives for states to remove firearms from individuals who pose a high risk of harming themselves or others.

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