The Violence Against Women Act was reauthorized this week mostly along party lines. Two provisions created GOP opposition. That didn’t keep one west Michigan congressman from voting in favor of the bill.
The Violence Against Women Act was first passed in 1994 protecting and providing resources for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence. There are a number of federal funding streams for support and research. The bill hasn’t been fully funded since 2019. Wednesday, the U.S. House reauthorized the VAWA.
“How do we continue to update and modernize these provisions to deal with our society as it adapts and changes.”
The reauthorization which included gun rights restrictions and access for services to LGBTQ victims was met with opposition by GOP House members. U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer from Grand Rapids was one of 29 Republicans voting in favor with Democrats.
“Specifically, when it comes to domestic violence and firearms in a household we’ve seen time and time again the that that has led to homicides. That that’s led to frankly, mass shootings as well. Over 60% of the individuals who have committed mass shootings in the past six years had a domestic abuse, domestic assault charge, that had been filed against them. It’s a delicate balance and obviously we need to respect and protect Second Amendment rights, but we also need to take into account the role that that plays in domestic abuse, domestic assault and just gender-based violence more broadly.”
The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate.