Hello John, The U.S. Senate is considering a bill that hacks away at our right to self-defense – all in the name of protecting women from violence. I’m asking you to call attention to this thinly-disguised gun control and stop it from passing into law. Earlier this month, we told you the House added gun control to its reenactment of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The Senate is the only thing keeping this gun control bill from going to President Biden for a signature. And you – our GOA members – are the ones who have the power to make the Senate take the gun control provisions out of VAWA. Any gun control is offensive, but this type of bill is particularly offensive because it uses the guise of protecting women to rip away both men’s and women’s ability to protect themselves. The message this bill sends is that guns are too dangerous for women. That’s an insult to the millions of American women who are highly capable and trained firearms owners – young professionals, single moms, and grandmothers who live in inner-city, urban, suburban, and rural areas. I would have hoped our society had left behind the idea that women aren’t capable of owning or using a Constitutionally protected tool. Instead, this bill gives a middle finger to the women I know who have struggled courageously to get out of an abusive situation. Many of these women rely on their ability to own and carry a gun in case their abuser hunts them down again and threatens their life. Firearms truly empower these brave women. This VAWA bill makes it far too easy for an abuser to leverage provisions in the bill that will enable his intended victim’s guns to be confiscated by local law enforcement deputized as ATF agents. The bill dishes out Federal funds to launch criminal investigations into those who were denied a firearm purchase on the NICS background check system. But that system is fundamentally flawed: data shows that over 9 out of 10 denials are false. In fact, you probably know someone who was wrongly denied, simply because their name was similar to someone else who had a criminal background. So your taxpayer dollars would be used to investigate and legally harass these law-abiding gun owners instead of going after real threats. This bill sends the message that firearms are inherently a danger that victims should avoid. This ignores the fact that firearms are used far more often to protect and save lives. Those who use firearms to defend themselves are far more likely to escape when their lives are in danger. But instead of helping abused victims, the VAWA gun control provisions actually have the potential to make victims more powerless and keep them caught in abuse. This offends me, and I’m sure it offends you, too. Don’t assume that your Senators will oppose this bill simply because they tend to oppose gun control. As Texas Director for GOA, I saw firsthand how attractive this kind of bill was to the Texas Legislature – even to those who generally vote pro-gun. Here in Texas, we defeated similar bills only because our members showed up and made sure their representatives knew that this was gun control. We’re asking you to do the same with your U.S. Senators. Use our convenient email form to tell your Senators that the VAWA bill in its current form is anti-gun, anti-woman, and anti-safety. You have the power once again to stop gun control and help save lives. Please take a few minutes right now to help protect our shared right to self-defense. In Liberty, Rachel Malone
Deputy Director, State and Local Affairs
Deputy Director, Operations
Gun Owners of America P.S. The Violence Against Women Act purports to help women – but it hurts both men and women because it includes dangerous gun control provisions. Act now to stop the Senate from passing this bill! | 
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