Arizona lawmaker to propose gun violence bill protecting domestic violence victims

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — After a heavy week of deadly domestic violence cases in Arizona, one Arizona lawmaker says change is needed.

State Rep. Jennifer Longdon, a Democrat from Phoenix, plans to introduce a bill at the state Capitol next year to put stronger orders of protection in place to try and protect domestic violence victims. A week of high-profile murder cases and domestic violence has left the community heartbroken, especially reeling from the loss of the youngest victim. “A 12-year-old boy and his dog were murdered by a family annihilator. It’s horrific,” said Longdon, who represents District 5, which covers central Phoenix and south Scottsdale.

Seeing that story of the triple-murder suicide in a Phoenix family hit Longdon particularly hard. She’s a survivor of a random drive-by shooting that left her paralyzed in 2004. Since then, she’s advocated for stricter gun violence laws, preparing to introduce a bill in January that would approve “extreme risk protection orders” known as ERPOs.

If approved, that would allow someone to petition a judge to temporarily remove guns if that person is determined to be a danger to others and themselves. “Suddenly becoming unemployed and it’s incredibly difficult, a difficult breakup, end of a marriage, maybe they’ve just recently lost their sobriety or are struggling with that,” Longdon said.

According to Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 21 states currently have “ERPO” laws. Arizona is not one of them. Longdon said her bill would also put more protections in place if someone is convicted of crimes involving domestic violence. “If you’ve been convicted of abusing your partner or a child, that’s where we remove firearms as a prohibited possessor,” she said.

The 2022 fatality report by the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence found that 76% of domestic violence deaths were caused by a gun, followed far behind by stabbing deaths. “In a home where domestic violence and a firearm are both present, the odds that a woman in that household will die are five times higher than if that firearm isn’t there,” said Longdon.

After a week where, in Phoenix alone, we lost four people to domestic violence and saw a cold-blooded killer sentenced for killing his wife, it can take away the joy this holiday season should bring. “At this time of year they hit especially hard,” Longdon said. The legislative session will begin in January and we’ll be following the gun violence bills, including Longdon’s, after they’re introduced.

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