Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has approved an initial set of 78 communities across 47 states, territories, and the District of Columbia for designation under Section 1103 of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022.
The Justice Department, through its United States Attorney’s offices (USAOs) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Field Divisions, will partner with each designated jurisdiction to develop a plan to reduce intimate partner firearm violence and prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders prohibited under 18 U.S. Code Section 922(g) from owning firearms.
“Domestic violence abusers use firearms to threaten, intimidate and coerce, and abusers with access to a gun are five times more likely to kill their partners,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson of the Southern District of West Virginia. “These designations will strengthen and enhance our ongoing collaboration with law enforcement and other community partners.”
“Domestic abusers are some of the most dangerous people in our community,” said United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld of the Northern District of West Virginia. “This initiative will make West Virginia safer, especially for survivors of domestic violence.”
“Domestic violence is prevalent in every community and affects people regardless of their background,” said Special Agent in Charge Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, which covers West Virginia. “Firearms often play a role in domestic violence, and too frequently guns are used by abusers to silence their victims. ATF recognizes that, and our agency is committed to working with the United States Attorney to hold offenders accountable and protect those who most need it.”
The West Virginia designations will complement such existing approaches as a continuing series of training sessions in partnership with the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
This training educates advocates on relevant federal law, enforcement options and resources, while keeping a focus on the vulnerability and needs of victims and survivors.
Communities have been designated in close coordination with community stakeholders. They include rural areas, suburban areas, urban areas and Tribal communities. The Justice Department used data to identify communities that could benefit from increased focus on intimate partner violence resources and where the local jurisdiction is committed to partnering with the Department to increase the use of federal tools to prosecute offenders under 18 U.S.C. 922(g).
The designation represents the partnership and coordination between the department and the local jurisdiction to ensure federal resources are being leveraged effectively to address intimate partner firearm violence.
Kanawha County has been designated in the Southern District of West Virginia. The Wheeling area, including Ohio, Brooke and Hancock counties, has been designated in the Northern District of West Virginia.
The Justice Department anticipates additional jurisdictions to be designated as USAOs continue coordination with their local stakeholders. All USAOs, with or without specific community designations under Section 1103, will continue to combat intimate partner firearm violence and prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders as part of their Project Safe Neighborhoods strategy and in support of the Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime.
