Missouri is one of the most dangerous states for domestic abuse victims. Here’s why

Missouri is among the most dangerous states in the nation for victims of domestic abuse. And until lawmakers strengthen the state’s laws, people like David Love will continue to walk free while victims such as Jessika Peppers will be put in harm’s way.

Love admitted to killing Peppers, his ex-girlfriend, inside his home last August. Authorities later ruled that the shooting was self-defense. A protection order banned Love from possessing weapons. However, system failures kept Love from being charged with violating a protective order.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker attributed the lack of charges to a series of obstacles, including an ambiguous Missouri law that fails to adequately address when a protection order goes into effect.

Getting guns out of the hands of domestic abusers is paramount to public safety. Abused women are five times more likely to be killed by their abuser if the abuser owns a firearm, according to Ari Freilich, staff attorney at Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

“These sorts of tragedies occur with alarming frequency,” Freilich said.

Freilich has worked on legislation to strengthen domestic violence and firearm laws in multiple states. Missouri is not one of them.

At least seven bipartisan bills introduced last session in the Missouri House and Senate would have made it unlawful for abusers subject to a domestic violence protection order to access guns.

All went nowhere.

“In many ways, Missouri’s laws make the state among the most dangerous states in the nation for victims of domestic abuse,” Freilich said.

Kansas lawmakers wisely passed a measure earlier this year that parallels federal law. But Missouri has lagged behind in providing essential protections to abuse victims, and currently, state law does not:

▪ Prohibit individuals convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors from purchasing or possessing firearms or ammunition.

▪ Prohibit individuals subject to domestic violence protective orders from possessing firearms or ammunition.

▪ Require courts to notify domestic abusers when they become prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

▪ Require the relinquishment of firearms or ammunition by domestic abusers who have become prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

▪ Explicitly authorize or require the removal of firearms or ammunition at the scene of a domestic violence incident.

Lax gun laws in Missouri have put victims in danger. Lawmakers need to stop dragging their feet on what should not be a partisan issue.

Other states have been proactive in disarming dangerous domestic abusers. Some prohibit anyone convicted of a domestic violence offense or anyone who is subject to a domestic violence protective order from having legal access to a firearm.

In other states, the decision to include a firearm prohibition in a protective order does not hinge on a judge’s discretion. It’s simply prohibited by law.

Similar legislation in Missouri would save lives.

And just as Presiding Judge William Collins of Missouri’s 17th Judicial Circuit told The Star, protective orders would provide an even greater level of safety to the community if the Missouri legislature clarified precisely what constitutes a violation of an order of protection and when those cases can be prosecuted.

Victims of domestic abuse can’t afford to see another legislative session come and go with no action from policymakers to keep guns out of the hands of their abusers.

This story was originally published August 20, 2018 at 5:20 PM.