Brady, Over Two Dozen Domestic Violence, State Gun Violence Prevention Groups File Amicus Brief in Rahimi, First Supreme Court Gun Case Since Bruen

Brady's Brief Highlights the Dire Need for the Supreme Court to Protect Survivors of Domestic Abuse and Overturn the Fifth Circuit's Ruling.

Washington, D.C., August 21, 2023 – Today, Brady filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case U.S. v. Rahimi, to be heard this term. The brief, which is supported by leading national domestic violence prevention organizations, including the Battered Women's Justice Project and the National Domestic Violence Hotline, underscores the extreme danger of allowing the Fifth Circuit’s ruling to stand.

Brady, a national gun violence prevention group, joins other state gun violence prevention organizations in calling on the Court to reverse the decision and earlier this year filed an amicus brief in support of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) petition for certiorari.

Kris Brown, president of Brady, said:

“If the Fifth Circuit’s ruling is allowed to stand, survivors and those at risk of domestic violence, including countless children, will be in incredible danger. Firearms are the most common weapons used in domestic violence homicides, with female intimate partners more likely to be murdered with a gun than by all other means combined. The Supreme Court must prioritize survivor safety over a dangerous abuser’s access to firearms and overturn this deadly ruling.

“We hope this amicus brief provides clarity as to why this law in this case is integral to protecting some of the most vulnerable Americans.”

Douglas Letter, chief legal officer of Brady, said:

“Our amicus brief illustrates why the Fifth Circuit judges got it wrong when they ruled in favor of Rahimi. Their reckless decision puts countless lives at risk and goes against legal precedent and settled constitutional jurisprudence. Removing firearms from people under domestic violence restraining orders is common-sense, life-saving, and consistent with the Constitution.”

Relevant Statistics:

• 78% of Americans, including 75% of Republicans, support laws that prohibit gun possession by those convicted of domestic violence crimes;

• About 70 women in America are shot and killed by an intimate partner each month;

• 25 million American adults have been threatened or injured by an intimate partner with a firearm; and

• There is a 16% reduction in domestic violence homicides when firearm relinquishment procedures are implemented in these cases.