AUSTIN, Texas —
A Texas nonprofit is working to leverage a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling into more protection for domestic violence survivors.
The court recently decided in the U.S. v. Rahimi case that people who have restraining orders against them for domestic violence can no longer keep their firearms.
Now, the Texas Advocacy Project, or TAP, is taking action to make survivors feel safer.
TAP provides free legal services for survivors of domestic violence, stalking and other abuse. The organization will hold a town hall Thursday with its partners to go over the ruling, what it means for survivors and to come up with other plans for safety.
The organization’s chief legal officer, Bronwyn Blake, said this decision gives a renewed hope to people who are seeking safety. She also said according to a recent study, access to a gun makes it five times more likely a woman will die at the hands of a domestic abuser.
"It's so important because we're literally talking about life and death situations here. Survivors, when their firearms present, have a high risk of lethality, and we need to do absolutely everything we can to take full advantage of the law," Blake said.
At the town hall, the group will discuss safety planning around guns, protective orders and public health approaches to keep survivors safe. TAP is partnering with local legal and social services to strategize the best ways to go about this.
"Safety planning for survivors is about risk assessment, figuring out when they're in most danger and if there are any steps that we can help them take to stay safe. Survivors are experts in their own survival," Blake said. "That's literally what they have been doing. But as advocates, we can come alongside them and help them take advantages of this law that Rahimi upheld."
That town hall will be held virtually from 11 a.m. until noon Thursday. Anyone interested can register here.