The Gun Control Act as amended
prohibits the possession of a firearm
by individuals who have been convicted
of a misdemeanor crime of domestic
violence. According to ATF regulations,
misdemeanor crime of domestic
violence
means —
“a Federal, State or local offense that:
• Is a misdemeanor under Federal
or State law or, in States which do
not classify offenses as misde-
meanors, is an offense punishable
by imprisonment for a term of one
year or less, and includes offenses
that are punishable only by a fine.
(This is true whether or not the
State statute specifically defines
the offense as a ‘misdemeanor’ or
as a ‘misdemeanor crime of
domestic violence.’ The term
includes all such misdemeanor
convictions in Indian Courts estab-
lished pursuant to 25 CFR part 11.)
• Has, as an element, the use or
attempted use of physical force
(e.g., assault and battery), or the
threatened use of a deadly weapon
• Was committed by a current or
former spouse, parent, or guardian
of the victim, by a person with
whom the victim shares a child in
common, by a person who is
cohabiting with or has cohabited
with the victim as a spouse, parent,
or guardian, (e.g., the equivalent of
a ‘common law’ marriage even if
such relationship is not recognized
under the law), or a person
similarly situated to a spouse,
parent, or guardian of the victim
(e.g., two persons who are residing
at the same location in an intimate
relationship with the intent to make
that place their home would be
similarly situated to a spouse).
“A person shall not be considered to
have been convicted of such an
offense for purposes of this part
unless:
• The person is considered to have
been convicted by the jurisdiction in
which the proceedings were held.
• The person was represented by
counsel in the case, or knowingly
and intelligently waived the right to
counsel in the case; and
• In the case of a prosecution for
which a person was entitled to a
jury trial in the jurisdiction in which
the case was tried, either (i) The
case was tried by a jury, or (ii) The
person knowingly and intelligently
waived the right to have the case
tried by a jury, by guilty plea or
otherwise.
“A person shall not be considered to
have been convicted of such an
offense for purposes of this part if the
conviction has been expunged or set
aside, or is an offense for which the
person has been pardoned or has
had civil rights restored (if the law of
the jurisdiction in which the proceed-
ings were held provides for the loss of
civil rights upon conviction for such an
offense) unless the pardon, expunc-
tion, or restoration of civil rights
expressly provides that the person
may not ship, transport, possess, or
receive firearms, and the person is
not otherwise prohibited by the law of
the jurisdiction in which the proceed-
ings were held from receiving or
possessing any firearms.”
18
The Act as amended also prohibits
possession of firearms by individuals
who are the subject of a restraining
order. Federal law defines this prohibi-
tion as a person who —
“is subject to a court order that
restrains such person from harassing,
stalking, or threatening an intimate
partner of such person or child of
such intimate partner or person, or
engaging in other conduct that would
place an intimate partner in reason-
able fear of bodily injury to the partner
or child, except that this paragraph
shall only apply to a court order that
—
(a) was issued after a hearing of
which such person received actual
notice, and at which such person
had the opportunity to participate;
and
(b)(i) includes a finding that such
person represents a credible threat
to the physical safety of such
intimate partner or child; or
(ii) by its terms explicitly prohibits
the use, attempted use, or threat-
ened use of physical force against
such intimate partner or child that
would reasonably be expected to
cause bodily injury.”
19
Several recent BJS and GAO reports
make clear that domestic violence
misdemeanor conviction records and
restraining orders continue to pose
significant challenges to the NICS
system:
— Use and Management of Criminal
History Record Information: A Compre-
hensive Report, 2001 Update
, (NCJ
187670) December 2001.
— Continuing Criminal History Records
Improvement Evaluation: Final 1994-98
Report
, (NCJ-179768) February 2000.
— Survey of State Procedures Related
to Firearms Sales, Midyear 2002
,
(NCJ-198830) April 2003.
— Opportunities to Close Loopholes in
the National Instant Background Check
System
, General Accounting Office,
(GAO-02-720) July 12, 2002.
— Improving the National Instant Crimi-
nal Background Check System
,
General Accounting Office, (GAO-T-
GGD-00-163) June 21, 2000.
— Gun Control: Options for Improving
the National Instant Criminal
Background Check System
, General
Accounting Office, (GAO/GGD-00-56)
April 12, 2000.
Appendix II Identifying prohibited purchasers:
Domestic violence misdemeanants and subjects of restraining orders
Improving Access to and Integrity of Criminal History Records
33
18
See 27 CFR 178.11.
19
18 USC § 922.