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This resource explains what changes the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act made to narrow the so-called “boyfriend loophole,” how “dating relationships” are defined by this law, and how victim advocates can support survivors whose current or former dating partners may have access to, or be prohibited from accessing, firearms.

This chart includes information about state laws that speak to expressly authorized or
mandated firearm relinquishment orders in civil protection order and criminal cases involving intimate partner violence. The information is current as of September 2024, may not be all-inclusive, and is intended only for educational and research purposes. State statutes are constantly changing. Additionally, the absence of statutory provisions related to relinquishment does not mean state and local authorities lack the authority to implement relinquishment processes.

This resource details the importance of having a firearm relinquishment protocol and provides steps for developing a coordinated community response and developing an effective protocol that can be institutionalized and has a separate appendix of relevant state statutes.

Over several months in 2024, the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms (NRCDVF) conducted site visits in three communities, each of which has developed a multi-jurisdictional collaboration with the specific goal of addressing firearm-facilitated domestic violence and domestic violence-derived community violence through better implementation and enforcement of the federal laws that prohibit certain abusers from accessing firearms.

Those communities—DeKalb County, GA; Oklahoma City, OK; and Birmingham, AL—each developed a collaborative initiative that reflects their community and its needs. Each of these three programs are discussed in this resource, including who participates in the initiative, how resources are allocated, the shape the program takes, and the benefits to each community.

The aim of this resource is to provide these models as ones which may be adopted, or adapted, for your own community. The partners within each of these community models were gracious and generous in offering honest reflection on the process of developing these initiatives. The last section of this resource is a set of tips taken directly from the experience of these communities.

There are lots of things to consider when your U-status client asks if they can travel abroad. What stage of their U application or U-based adjustment process are they in? What inadmissibilities might they face? What is the political and enforcement climate like? This practice advisory and accompanying chart lay out key laws, policy, and other factors to keep in mind when counseling clients about international travel.

Applying a victim/survivor-centered approach places victim/survivor autonomy at the forefront of all victim/survivor interaction and decision making. When
SARTs apply a victim/survivor centered approach, it fosters increased support for victims/survivors, enhances case outcomes, improves public safety, and strengthens accountability for perpetrators/offenders.

This resource is aimed to assist Sexual Assault
Response Teams (SARTs) in navigating current
and upcoming repressive legislation to ensure
continued support and services for victims/
survivors of sexual violence.

Immigrant survivors of gender-based violence who apply for U and T Nonimmigrant Status are often required by law to have some interaction with the criminal-legal system. This Practice Advisory, jointly produced by ASISTA and the National Crime Victim Law Institute, identifies when U and T filings may arise in a criminal proceeding and, through the framework of crime victims’ rights, offers promising practices for defending against subpoenas requesting immigrant survivors’ U and T filings.

This webinar will provide participants with foundational knowledge of forced marriage as a form of gender-based violence and the abusive tactics often utilized to forced an individual at risk to comply with the marriage demands. We will discuss commonly used terminology with a focus on the various aspects of consent that must be present in any marriage. We will walk through the tools of power and control often used by those perpetrating abuse, including the abuse that may precede a forced marriage, and the forms of violence that can result either by the refusal to marry or within the marriage.

The webinar aims to increase the expertise of service providers with a focus on identifying cases of forced marriage within existing caseloads. There are two QR codes located towards the bottom right-hand side of the first slide that will link to the webinar’s recording. Recordings are available to Spanish and English.

The Forced Marriage Initiative Flyer to learn more about how forced marriage intersects with other forms of abuse and how the program can assist with various information related to forced marriage in the United States.