The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a federal gun control law that is intended to protect victims of domestic violence.
The justices ruled 8-1 in favor of a 1994 ban on firearms for people under restraining orders to stay away from their spouses or partners. The justices reversed a ruling from the federal appeals court in New Orleans that had struck down the law.
Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the court, said the law uses “common sense” and applies only "after a judge determines that an individual poses a credible threat” of physical violence.
President Joe Biden, who has been critical of previous high-court rulings on guns, abortion and other hot-button issues, praised the outcome.
“No one who has been abused should have to worry about their abuser getting a gun,” Biden said in a statement. “As a result of today’s ruling, survivors of domestic violence and their families will still be able to count on critical protections, just as they have for the past three decades.”
Connecticut already has strong gun control measures. State Attorney General William Tong says he’s relieved by the court’s decision, with laws still coming under attack.
“We are defending those cases, and I am eminently confident that we're going to win, that our gun laws are constitutional, they're legal, they're lawful, and they're in line with this case,” Tong said in an interview.
Friday’s case stemmed directly from the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision in June 2022. It expanded Americans’ gun rights under the Constitution but also changed the way courts are supposed to evaluate restrictions on firearms.
“But celebrating the good news must be accompanied by continued vigilance; the Bruen decision still puts our common-sense gun laws at risk,” Melissa Kane, CT Against Gun Violence board chair and interim executive director said in a statement.
Just this week there was a constitutional challenge to Connecticut's 2023 law banning open carry and limits on handgun purchases.
Other local groups, like Connecticut's Coalition Against Domestic Violence, celebrated the U.S. Supreme court's decision.
“It sort of validates that we can be cautiously optimistic,” Meghan Scanlon, the group’s president and CEO said in an interview. “I hope that that then translates to other cases and issues that are coming up for the Supreme Court.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, firearms are the most frequently used weapon in homicides of spouses, intimate partners, relatives or children.
Other Connecticut officials were also quick to praise the decision Friday afternoon.
“This ruling reaffirms what more than 80% of Americans believe: Domestic abusers should not have access to firearms," U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said in a statement.
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, a Democrat, said she was "relieved" at the court's decision to "uphold common-sense restrictions on accessing firearms."
It’s the justices’ first Second Amendment case since they expanded gun rights with the Bruen decision.
Last week, the court overturned a Trump-era ban on bump stocks, the rapid-fire gun accessories used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The court ruled that the Justice Department exceeded its authority in imposing that ban.
Connecticut Public's Michayla Savitt, Patrick Skahill and the Associated Press contributed to this report. This story has been updated.
