H.R. 9983 — Lori Jackson-Nicolette Elias Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act

This section states findings that more than 900 women are shot and killed by intimate partners each year in the United States, that nearly 6 million women have had a gun used against them by a domestic partner, and that federal law under section 922(g)(8) of title 18, United States Code, contains loopholes that permit certain abusers subject to restraining orders to possess firearms. It further states that state laws expanding firearm prohibitions to dating partners and to individuals subject to ex parte or temporary orders are associated with 13- to 16-percent reductions in intimate partner homicides involving firearms.

This section expands the definition of intimate partner under federal firearms law to include dating partners, former dating partners, and any person protected by the domestic violence laws of the issuing jurisdiction. It adds stalking to the definition of misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and defines covered domestic violence court orders as those meeting specified due process, restraint, and threat requirements.

This section establishes a grant program, administered by the Attorney General through the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women, that awards funds to states, Indian tribes, and units of local government to implement and enforce policies requiring individuals subject to domestic violence protection orders to surrender all firearms and ammunition within 24 hours, file a sworn declaration of compliance within 48 hours, and face a prohibition on possession for the order’s duration. Grants may support law enforcement storage and partnerships with at least one domestic violence victim service provider.

This section updates references to domestic violence court orders in the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to use the term "covered domestic violence court order" as defined in section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code.