Ban On Firearms Possession For Domestic Abusers Is Upheld

By Robert J. Hansen | OBSERVER Staff Writer The Supreme Court ruled June 21 to uphold a federal statute that prohibits individuals subject to a domestic violence restraining order from possessing a firearm. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the court’s majority opinion that the government has a compelling interest in keeping firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers. “With over 70 people shot and killed by an intimate partner each month in the United States, the seriousness of the problem can hardly be overstated,” Roberts wrote. Zackey Rahimi, the respondent in the case, had challenged that the statute violated his Second Amendment right. In December 2019, Rahimi met his girlfriend, who is also the mother of his child, for lunch in a parking lot. During the meal, the two began arguing, and Rahimi became enraged. His girlfriend attempted to leave, but Rahimi grabbed her by the wrist, dragged her back to his car and shoved her in, causing her to strike her head against the dashboard. When he realized that a bystander was watching the altercation, Rahimi paused to retrieve a gun from under the passenger seat of his car. The girlfriend took advantage of the opportunity to...