One Every 12 Hours
Someone is shot and killed by a current or former intimate partner every 12 hours in the United States. Five hundred fifty-six women are killed per year by a husband or male dating partner with a gun. A woman is 5 times more likely to be murdered when her abuser has access to a firearm.
556 women killed per year by an intimate partner with a gun. 5x more likely to be murdered when the abuser has a gun. 4.5 million women threatened by a domestic abuser with a firearm.
Over half of all intimate partner homicides involve a firearm. In 2016, 4.5 million women reported being threatened by a domestic abuser with a gun. Black and Indigenous women, women under 20, and pregnant women face disproportionately higher rates.
The Loophole
The 1996 Lautenberg Amendment prohibited firearm possession by people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence against spouses, cohabitants, and co-parents. Dating partners who never lived together were exempt. That was the boyfriend loophole.
The 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act partially closed it by extending firearm restrictions to convicted dating partners. But unlike spouses, convicted dating partners can regain their gun rights after 5 years if offense-free. The prohibition sunsets. The danger often does not.
Thirty-two states have adopted some form of policy addressing the loophole. Alabama closed its dating partner gap in 2025. California and New York enacted reinforcing measures. But state laws are patchwork, and enforcement varies.
The Virginia Plan Would Close It Permanently
Sen. Warner and Sen. Kaine introduced S. 4339, the Virginia Plan, on April 16, 2026. The bill would permanently prohibit firearm possession for people convicted of dating violence or stalking, with no sunset. It also includes universal background checks, a one-handgun-a-month purchase limit, a 48-hour reporting requirement for lost or stolen firearms, and Lucia’s Law, which creates criminal liability for caregivers who give children access to firearms when the child poses a risk.
What you can do now
- Call your U.S. senators and ask them to co-sponsor S. 4339, the Virginia Plan, introduced April 16, 2026. The bill would permanently close the boyfriend loophole with no 5-year sunset. Use Resist Bot to send a message.
- Check your state’s domestic violence firearm law on the Giffords state law tracker. Thirty-two states have adopted some form of dating partner restriction, but enforcement varies. If your state is not on the list, contact your state legislator and ask them to introduce a bill. Find your state page for contacts.
- Contact your state attorney general and ask whether your state enforces firearm surrender orders in domestic violence cases. Courts can issue the orders, but without enforcement, abusers keep their weapons. Find your AG at the AG finder.
- Tell your U.S. representative to oppose any effort to roll back the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The 2022 law partially closed the loophole, but the 5-year sunset means convicted dating partners can regain gun rights. Weakening the law would remove even that partial protection for the 556 women killed per year by intimate partners with firearms.