LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A recent ruling made by a federal judge, some say, puts victims of domestic violence directly in harms way.
This February, U.S. District Court Judge Danny Reeves struck down a law, preventing subjects of domestic violence cases from owning or buying firearms, citing constitutional rights given to U.S. citizens in the Second Amendment.
Some, like Jefferson County attorney Mike O'Connell, believe the ruling puts guns back in the hands of domestic violence attackers.
"I mean, it's guns, guns, guns. And, in the world of domestic violence, they don't belong," O'Connell said. "It's a travesty. It's a tortured examination of the Constitution of this United States."
In his ruling Reeves also cited a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision from 2021.
Writing for the majority, Justice Clarence Thomas said gun restrictions are constitutional, only if the government can "... demonstrate that the regulation is consistent with the Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation."
"We're talking about a Constitution that didn't include women in its writing. This judicial decision only puts them at more risk," Attica Scott, a former Kentucky lawmaker and domestic violence prevention advocate, said. "I hope people realize they're probably living next door to a domestic violence victim if they're not experiencing it themselves."
A recent study by the National Library of Medicine found women are five times more likely to be murdered when their abuser has access to firearms.
"Well they're not fully protected anymore as a result of this ruling. You know, domestic violence has become a public health crisis," O'Connell said.
O'Connell said his team works on about 4,000 domestic violence cases every year.
"It is taking away a significant and important piece to take away that firearms protection," Louisville Metro Councilwoman Cassie Chambers Armstrong said.
Chambers Armstrong, who is also running for Kentucky state senate, spent years working as an attorney for domestic violence survivors. She said this ruling sends a clear message to her former clients.
"I worry that folks will look at this ruling and say, 'This is another way the deck is stacked against me.' And it will look like another barrier when someone is looking at the really difficult decision of leaving an abusive relationship," Chambers Armstrong said.
Domestic violence prevention advocates, like Scott, said the path forward is clear.
"Well, people definitely need to pay attention to advocacy and public policy. Who is sitting in these positions makes a difference. And when judicial appointments are coming up, we need to pay attention and get involved," Scott said.
The judge's ruling already took effect on Feb. 2.
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