More women die when domestic abusers own guns. Do Kansas and Missouri lawmakers care?

Kansas and Missouri lawmakers are faced with a simple question: Do you believe someone convicted of domestic violence should be able to own a gun?

Their answers matter. And voters should hold them accountable.

Both states are considering bills that would align with federal law, which already prohibits people convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors and those who are subject to certain protective orders from purchasing or possessing guns.

More than two dozen states see the wisdom of such laws, which are an important tool for police as they try to prevent someone who has already been physically violent with a spouse or loved one from escalating the abuse to murder.

The Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, the Kansas Sheriffs Association and the Kansas Peace Officers Association testified before a House committee in support of the measure.

“Our purpose is to assure that there are state criminal charges we can file for ‘bad actors’ carrying firearms,” their statement said. The Kansas House listened, passing the bill in early February, 120-0. Now, the legislation awaits action in the Kansas Senate.

Missouri was once in line with the federal law, which also bans convicted felons from possessing firearms.

But the state veered off course in 2016 in legislators’ zeal for enacting concealed carry. Lawmakers were warned repeatedly that allowing concealed carry without background checks and training would create a loophole for domestic abusers to obtain guns.

They did it anyway.

The Missouri bills — there are several different versions — have yet to receive a vote.

Abused women are five times more likely to be killed if their attacker owns a gun, according to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

The nation’s inability and often its unwillingness to keep guns out of abusers’ hands is the reason. In Missouri, some lawmakers have discounted the need for new legislation, arguing that the loophole isn’t that big.

Tell that to women in domestic violence shelters.

There is a reason shelters shield the women’s addresses. They can’t risk having their abusers locate them. And both Missouri and Kansas should recognize that they can’t risk allowing known abusers to purchase or possess guns.

There are also gaps in the federal law.

It only prohibits gun possession when an intimate partner, a spouse or a child has been the victim of domestic abuse. Those parameters can leave out people who are under restraining orders as a result of harassing or stalking. The Kansas bill includes needed provisions to address those circumstances.

Also, some states are lax about reporting domestic violence convictions into federal databases, limiting what a background check will unearth.

In both Kansas and Missouri, the legislation would apply only to certain protective orders, including those where a hearing has been held and the person has received actual notice and had the opportunity to participate.

Despite the constant pushback from those who believe in virtually no limits on the Second Amendment, there should be broad agreement across the political spectrum that convicted domestic abusers should not have access to guns.

Yes, people kill people, not guns. But lax gun laws make it that much more likely that the violence will occur. And American women are 16 times more likely to be shot and killed than women in other developed countries.

We know why. The links between domestic violence and guns are clear. But are our legislators willing to do something about it?

This story was originally published February 19, 2018 at 6:35 PM with the headline "More women die when domestic abusers own guns. Do Kansas and Missouri lawmakers care?."