livingston
20×102mm Vulcan
Gun Talks Snag on Tricky Question: What Counts as a Boyfriend?
WASHINGTON — Among the sticking points standing in the way of a final deal on what could be the first significant bipartisan gun safety legislation in decades is an age-old question: How do you define a boyfriend?The question may sound frivolous, but for a small group of Republicans and Democrats who are pressing to translate a hard-won compromise on guns into legislation that can draw 60 votes in the Senate, it is vital. And for millions of women who have been threatened with a firearm by an intimate partner, it is deadly serious.
At issue is a provision in the proposed agreement that would make it more difficult for domestic abusers to obtain guns.
Current law bars people convicted of domestic violence or subject to a domestic violence restraining order from being able to buy a gun, but it applies only if they have been married to or lived with the victim, or had a child with them. Lawmakers have worked unsuccessfully for years to close what has come to be known as the “boyfriend loophole” by expanding the law to include other intimate partners. Taking such a step is seen as one of the more publicly popular and effective ways to reduce gun violence.
But first, lawmakers must agree on what exactly makes someone an intimate partner. Is it one date or several? Could an ex-boyfriend count?
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