​​The current federal laws in place were passed in 1994, with the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and certain changes to the Gun Control Act. VAWA, along with its 1996 amendments, "acknowledges that Domestic Violence is a widespread issue across the U.S. and aims to support an overburdened state and local criminal justice system". This law makes it illegal for an abuser to cross state or federal lines to hurt or stalk a survivor, or to violate a personal protection order, otherwise known as a PPO, which is a court-ordered protection against a specific person that prevents someone from being threatened, attacked, harassed, assaulted or stalked by another person (essentially, a PPO is a restraining order). While VAWA specially mentions women, other genders are protected by this policy.

 

With the Gun Control Act in 1994 and amendment in 1996, it is a federal crime in certain circumstances for Domestic Violence offenders to possess firearms.

 

While these polices are helpful, they are not fool-proof. There is an infamous problem with the Gun Control Act called the "Boyfriend loophole", as the act only stops people from purchasing a gun if they are convicted of Domestic Violence if they either have a child with the survivor, are married to the survivor, or are living with the survivor. Additionally, while a Personal Protection Order may be a powerful tool for local authorities to understand your situation, it is usually only helpful when law enforcement is called during an instance of being threatened, attacked, harassed, assaulted or stalked. ​

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Creating a safety net and governmental polices for survivors of Domestic Violence is essential to breaking the cycle of abuse and ensuring they have the resources to recover and thrive. While there is current laws in place protecting and acknowledging survivors, there needs to be additional federal policies in place, state policies and laws vary. Research the state and local polices specific to your area.​

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As an organization, we have developed a series of policy proposals aimed at addressing the economic and social impacts of domestic violence. These policies will be republished at the end of March. We thank you for your patience.