domestic violence

Nov. 15, Natalie Nanasi, an associate professor at SMU Dallas Dedman School of Law, for a commentary evaluating the arguments brought before the U.S. Supreme Court as they consider a petition to strike laws that presently prevent domestic violence abusers from possessing guns. Published in The Hill under the heading Does the Second Amendment protect the right of abusers to own a gun? We’re about to find out: https://tinyurl.com/y5p8kyfj

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments last week in U.S. v. Rahimi, a case that will determine whether a federal law that keeps guns out of the hands of domestic violence offenders is constitutional. In a country where an average of 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner every month, the outcome is a matter of life and death.

Before we begin, however, we must better understand how Zackey Rahimi became the focus of the case, and how and why it advanced to the Supreme Court.

Continue reading “Does the Second Amendment protect the right of abusers to own a gun? We’re about to find out.”

Nov. 6, Natalie Nanasi, an associate professor at SMU Dallas Dedman School of Law and co-author Kelly Roskam, director of law and policy at the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, for an op-ed advocating that the U.S. Supreme Court uphold laws prohibiting domestic violence offenders from possessing guns. Published in The Houston Chronicle under the heading When abusers have guns, everyone is at risk: https://tinyurl.com/4b9n5af9

You wouldn’t want Zackey Rahimi to be your neighbor, much less your boyfriend. In December 2019, he grabbed his girlfriend, knocked her down, dragged her to his car and hit her head on the dashboard while shoving her inside. Just a year later, he fired multiple shots into the home of someone he had sold narcotics to, twice shot at the driver of a car he had gotten into an accident with, shot at a constable’s vehicle, and fired multiple shots in the air after his friend’s credit card was declined at a Whataburger.

Most would also agree Rahimi isn’t someone who should have access to a gun. His girlfriend filed for and was granted a domestic violence protective order (DVPO), which under federal law meant Rahimi was prohibited from possessing firearms. Now he’s claiming it’s unconstitutional to prohibit him, and others subject to DVPOs, from possessing guns. In March 2023, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, and on Tuesday the case went before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Continue reading “When abusers have guns, everyone is at risk”