New York, NY, Monday, June 24, 2024 – The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (“WBASNY”) applauds the Supreme Court of the United States in its decision in United States v. Rahimi for upholding existing laws that bar anyone subject to a domestic violence restraining order from possessing a gun.
The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Defendant Rahimi was in possession of at least two firearms while under a protective order for committing acts of domestic violence against his former partner and their young child. In addition, he was further accused of recklessly discharging firearms in public, endangering others. The Fifth United States Circuit Court of Appeals decision reversed the conviction and allowed Rahimi and other individuals with a history of domestic violence to retain access to firearms.
In reversing the decision, the Supreme Court held that “when an individual has been found by a court to pose a credible threat to the physical safety of another, that individual may be temporarily disarmed consistent with the Second Amendment. Since the Founding, the Nation’s firearm laws have included regulations to stop individuals who threaten physical harm to others from misusing firearms.”
WBASNY has advocated for years to: (a) remove firearms from the scene of domestic violence incidents; (b) ensure abusers immediately lose access to firearms upon a domestic violence misdemeanor conviction; and (c) remove firearms from the home of individuals who become subject to a protective order arising out of a domestic dispute. The Supreme Court’s decision in Rahimi helps safeguard those vulnerable to the perils of domestic violence and ensures that victims and survivors of domestic abuse are protected from their abusers.
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The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY) is the professional membership organization of choice for nearly 4,000 attorneys throughout New York State and the largest statewide women’s bar association in the country. For more than four decades, WBASNY has been a singularly important resource for women lawyers, providing professional networking, continuing legal education programming, leadership training, and advocacy for the rights of women, children, and families. Through involvement with WBASNY’s 20 regional chapters and its 40-plus substantive law committees, WBASNY’s members collaborate with one another on a variety of issues and perform public and community service, in furtherance of its mission to promote the advancement of the status of women in society and women in the legal profession; to promote the fair and equal administration of justice; and to act as a unified voice for its members with respect to issues of statewide, national and international significance to women generally and women attorneys in particular. WBASNY holds United Nations NGO status with the U.N.’s Department of Public Information, and Special Consultative status in association with the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). WBASNY is also a founding member of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations.