As part of the Department’s ongoing efforts to reduce violent crime and assist communities across the nation in reducing domestic violence homicides and injuries committed with firearms, the Department of Justice announced today that six new sites had been chosen to participate in the Firearms Technical Assistance Project (FTAP) expansion.
The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley in Tennessee, the City of Austin in Texas, the City of Yakima in Washington, the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, and the City of Tucson in Arizona are the six new FTAP sites. The six new FTAP sites join the six already operational ones, which are: Spokane, Washington; Columbus, Ohio; Brooklyn, New York; the State of Vermont; and Birmingham, Alabama.
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms, which aids all levels of government in the thorough implementation and enforcement of domestic violence firearm prohibitions, will also receive a $750,000 grant from the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW).
The 12 FTAP sites have received a total of $5.99 million in funding from OVW, which helps communities across the country lower the number of domestic violence homicides and injuries caused by firearms.
“At the Justice Department, our anti-violent crime strategy is centered on our partnerships with communities across the country and the law enforcement agencies that protect those communities every day,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Our Firearms Technical Assistance Project focuses on the intersection of gun violence and domestic violence at the community level through specialized training for our law enforcement partners and enhanced support services for the survivors of domestic violence.”
“We cannot end domestic violence homicides without crafting strategies that meet the unique needs on the ground in communities, including centering those who have been historically marginalized,” said OVW Acting Director Allison Randall. “This is why it is critical that FTAP sites work with underserved communities to implement firearm prohibition strategies that reflect their needs. OVW’s Firearms Technical Assistance Project keeps survivors and communities safe by using a holistic, culturally specific approach to firearm relinquishment – addressing the critical and often lethal nexus of firearms and domestic violence.”
FTAP was mentioned in the White House’s Fact Sheet on Highlights from the Biden Administration’s Historic Efforts to Reduce Gun Violence, which supports the Justice Department’s comprehensive approach to reducing violent crime. Federal law forbids the possession of firearms by those who have been convicted of misdemeanour or felony domestic violence offences, as well as those who are the subject of domestic violence restraining orders.
According to the data, homicide risk is significantly increased for offenders who have a history of domestic violence. In fact, domestic violence abusers are five times more likely to kill their partners if they have a gun in the house. In addition to being deadly, abusers also use guns to inflict fear, intimidation, and coercive control.
The new FTAP sites will receive direct financial assistance ranging from $499,212 to $500,000 as well as technical support to assist each site in putting best practises for preventing the use of firearms in domestic violence into action. In particular, partner organisations that centre underserved populations will be included in the sites’ efforts to incorporate community partners into their efforts to implement successful responses to firearms and domestic violence.
In order to assist communities in putting policies, procedures, and promising practises in place that prevent abusers from having access to firearms in domestic violence cases, OVW and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges launched the FTAP in 2019. The Battered Women’s Justice Project manages the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms with the help of OVW funding. Among its resources are a model firearms surrender protocol, strategies for local governments, and case studies of effective methods.
Through the passage of the Violence Against Women Act and related laws, OVW takes the lead in strengthening the country’s ability to reduce violence. OVW, founded in 1995, provides financial and technical support to local governments across the nation as they create plans, policies, and practises to stop domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Along with managing federal grant programmes, OVW also launches initiatives in response to unique requirements identified by communities facing severe difficulties.
Visit www.justice.gov/ovw to learn more.