The NRA Is Trying to Block the Violence Against Women Act
March 27, 2019 5:05PM ET
The NRA Is Trying to Block the Violence Against Women Act
The gun lobby wants to arm abuse victims rather than remove weapons from the home
By Tim Dickinson
The National Rifle Association is preparing to punish lawmakers for voting to protect women from their stalkers and domestic abusers. The gun lobby announced this week that it will dock its grades for politicians who vote to renew the Violence Against Women Act. The legislation, first passed in 1994, is up for reauthorization this session — augmented by a provision that could give law enforcement officials the power to confiscate guns from men who hurt or menace women.
NRA spokesperson Jennifer Baker told the National Journal that this “red-flag” provision — intended to protect women against gun violence from men who are exhibiting violent or dangerous behaviors — is an unacceptable encroachment on individual gun ownership rights.
“It is a shame that some in the gun-control community treat the severity of domestic violence so trivially that they are willing to use it as a tool to advance a political agenda,” Baker told the publication. She added that the NRA opposes domestic violence — but is focused on adding more guns to such combustible dynamics, seeking to arm women and train them in self defense. (The NRA did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment.)
The NRA’s call to vote down the Violence Against Women Act could help some Republicans justify their opposition to the landmark legislation, though it could also wrongfoot some GOP moderates who are now forced to choose between protecting their female constituents and maintaining their A-rating from the fearsome gun lobby, the loss of which can invite a primary challenge.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has framed the vote in stark terms:
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https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/nra-violence-against-women-act-814295/?fbclid=IwAR3SYbI-W7WFSMZKJTshNP6_pHvjaNe8jQ1lRsbd3PR2SsgGLAvqCNSWqrU
= new reply since forum marked as read
if a few women are murdered. Mens gotta have their guns no matter what. It’s their God-given right....
Asked me why I hated guns so much.
the NRA doesn't discriminate...they're for violence for anyone who may interfere with their guns...
...we're talking about a group of people who oppose do anything meaningful and sensible about little children being slaughtered in schools with firearms rather than compromise one iota on loose gun laws...
...I'm a proud gun owner and I'm willing to put up with a little more hassle owning guns if it would mean saving innocent lives due to senseless weekly gun violence...
...back in the '60s I used to be a proud member of the NRA...
...my how that organization's changed since then...
...despicable...
