McLean Lawmaker Praises Supreme Court for Upholding Gun Ban

A McLean lawmaker is praising the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld a federal firearms ban for domestic abusers.

Virginia Del. Kathleen Murphy (34th-McLean) said in a statement that she was "grateful" the Surpeme Court made the 6-2 decision. She also pointed to the Virginia General Assembly's recent "historic bipartisan deal" to ban domestic abusers from having guns and requiring more expansive background checks at gun shows.

"This decision [by the Supreme Court] is a huge step forward to keep guns out of the hands of violent domestic abusers," she said. "The court's ruling will save lives. I want to thank my colleagues and all those who advocate for common sense measures to prevent gun tragedies."

Opponents of the ban argued that it violated the constitutional right to bear arms, and that only convictions for intentional domestic assault offenses -- as opposed to assaults in the heat of the moment -- should count for the federal gun prohibition, but the court heard only the second argument and rejected it.

The decision was hailed as a major victory for domestic violence advocacy groups as well as gun control advocates, while gun rights advocates slammed the decision as a violation of the 2nd amendment.

Image via MurphyforDelegate.com