When I walked down the aisle, I never thought my marriage would end with abuse. I certainly never thought I would find myself sharing my experience with domestic violence with the Arkansas Legislature.
But this past March, I testified at a hearing for House Bill 1655, a bill sponsored by Rep. Nicole Clowney, which would have prevented convicted domestic abusers in Arkansas from buying or having guns, closing a loophole in state law. Though the bill wasn't passed this session, I won't stop advocating for gun safety until every family in Arkansas is protected from gun-related domestic violence.
In an average month, at least 52 American women are shot to death by an intimate partner, and many more are injured. And in Arkansas, there were at least 88 victims of intimate-partner homicide between 2013 and 2017. A majority of these victims were killed with a gun.
It is so clear that access to a gun is all too often the difference between life and death for victims of domestic violence. That's why federal law already prohibits convicted domestic abusers from buying or having guns. Yet Arkansas law does not offer this same protection. Without a corresponding state law, Arkansas law enforcement is largely powerless to enforce the prohibition, leaving a dangerous loophole that gives abusers easy access to guns.
I know intimately what this gap in the law looks like. It was the reason law enforcement could not disarm my abuser, as much as they wanted to. Like so many others, my marriage started happily. But over time, my husband's anger got worse and worse before it eventually turned to violence.
I still remember clearly when my then-estranged husband showed up unannounced in my kitchen in March 2013. I remember the buzzing in my ears and the sound of static turning to silence as I was knocked unconscious in my own home. I came to with my 4-year-old daughter crying above me, and somehow found my footing enough to call police.
My husband was charged with domestic assault in the second degree, and I began the arduous process of obtaining an order of protection. It would be months of fearing he would show up at my house with his gun before I was finally able to acquire an order of protection. But when I asked my local sheriff's department how they would make sure he wasn't able to buy or own a gun, they said there was nothing they could do.
It is always incredibly difficult to report abuse--but it is so much worse when police have no mechanism to protect you from a future assault. I am a longtime hunter and gun owner, and I firmly believe that Arkansas needs common-sense gun legislation--especially when it comes to protecting survivors of domestic violence.
Years later, I began to channel my pain into action by volunteering with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. I decided to testify at the hearing for HB1655 so that my story could help lawmakers understand how badly needed this bill is. I knew that the pain and anguish of speaking publicly about the hardest times in my life would be worthwhile if I could help keep another woman or another family safe. What I didn't know was that giving the testimony would be a healing experience for me.
By working with Moms Demand Action, I have been able to take my power back and turn what happened to me into fuel for activism. I know now that every conversation I have about gun violence and domestic violence has the potential to make an impact. Representative Clowney's bill did not make it through this time, but the House Judiciary Committee advanced it with bipartisan support. In a state like Arkansas, where gun-safety measures can often face an uphill battle, it's important to remember that sometimes the road to victory takes time.
I'm so proud of the work Representative Clowney, Moms Demand Action, and our other partners have done, and we will continue fighting until women and families have the protection under the law that we deserve. When you are a domestic-violence survivor, a gap in the law is not just a legal loophole--it's your family's safety, your peace of mind, and all too often, your life.
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Jessica Rogers is a volunteer with the Arkansas chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
Editorial on 06/21/2019