People accused of stalking or domestic violence in Virginia who are subject to a protective ordercannot carry a gun.
People convicted of stalking or domestic violence in Virginia can.
State Del.-elect Marcus Simon, who represents parts of the greater McLean and Falls Church areas, has pre-filed a bill in Richmond to close what he sees as a loophole.
"It's sort of a common-sense protection from folks being retaliated against," Simon told Patch.
"We want people to be able to come forward and report domestic violence."
Simon's bill would make it a felony for anyone convicted of stalking, sexual battery or assault and battery of a family member that results in serious injury from possessing or carrying a firearm for five years.
The bill also provides an avenue for those convicted to petition the court to reinstate their rights.
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RICHMOND, VIRGINIA--The Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance, Virginia’s leading voice on sexual and domestic violence, fully supports House Bill 1 (Co-sponsors: Delegate Barbara Comstock and Delegate Chris Peace), which would establish a Sexual and Domestic Violence Subfund at the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund (CICF). Senator Janet Howell and Senator Jill Holtzman Vogel are co-sponsoring companion legislation in the Senate.
The new Subfund will be a repository for existing and new funding, and is intended to streamline what is currently an inefficient and burdensome funding structure for Virginia’s 53 Sexual and Domestic Violence Crisis Centers.
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A University of Virginia group is trying to promote awareness about gender violence at the school. To get the word out, they're calling on students to come up with a creative campaign.
The UVA Women's Center Sexual and Domestic Violence Services is teaming up with the Avon Foundation for this challenge. They're asking students to create a 30 second PSA and a social media campaign that promotes gender violence prevention. The winning team will get cash, and a chance to see their work in action.
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(Virginia Beach, VA) Samaritan House, Virginia’s largest domestic violence shelter, wins a new van from Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good Program. Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good is a Facebook-enabled philanthropy initiative where Toyota gives away 100 cars in 50 days to 100 nonprofits. 250 finalists were chosen from a pool of 2,500 applicants. Finalists were chosen based on need and the vehicle’s impact on the community.
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ONANCOCK — The Eastern Shore Coalition Against Domestic Violence has come up with an innovative way for the community to show its support for victims of domestic violence — just in time for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, celebrated annually in October.
“Let’s face it, domestic violence is tough. ... How do you make this something people want to talk about?” said the coalition’s new executive director, Cristi S. Lawton, who started work Sept. 3.
The new project debuted at the Eastern Shore Harvest Festival earlier this month and generated positive response.
Dubbed “Pillow Talk,” the initiative gives community members the chance to write messages of care and encouragement on white pillowcases, which are then given to victims who are guests of the coalition’s emergency shelter. When guests leave the shelter, they can take their pillowcase with them.
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The inaugual Celebration Night, a benefit for victims of sexual assault, will be held Oct. 24 at the University of Virginia.
Fear2Freedom, a global nonprofit organization providing assistance to sexual assault victims, is partnering with the UVa chapter of the International Justice Mission and the student group One Less to lead the event.
Attendees will help put together about 200 kits for assault victims. Each kit contains toiletries and clothing, since the victims’ belongings may be collected as evidence.
The kits will be divided between the Foothills Child Advocacy Center and the Sexual Assault Resource Agency, which will distribute the kits through the UVa Medical Center.
The event will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Newcomb Hall.
Volunteers are welcome. For more information, email getinvolved@fear2freedom.org or visit www.fear2freedom.org.
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RICHMOND - Recent numbers show as many as 65 percent of teenage girls are in an abusive relationship. Many effects can last with them their whole lives. Caitlin Shiflett is an intimate partner violence and sexual assault advocate at VCU Medical Center. "It's more difficult for them to recognize the red flags," she says. "So a lot of what they experience they question themselves if it's abuse."
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FRONT ROYAL -- The former executive director of Harmony Place domestic violence shelter said Friday she had resigned days earlier by "mutual agreement" as unconfirmed reports swirled that the facility at 317 E. Main St. has closed permanently.
The doors to the shelter were locked Friday and no one answered the intercom at the door or phone calls to the office. Phones calls to some members of the board of directors were not returned.
A phone call to the Harmony Place hotline was routed to the Virginia Family Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline, a statewide service. A woman who answered said the statewide hotline was answering all emergency calls to Harmony Place while the agency is closed.
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October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the Franklin County Family Resource Center (FRC) is ready to help with free community services and information.
The FRC, a state-accredited domestic violence program, promotes safe and healthy living environments for Franklin County families who are victims of domestic violence, said Director Cynthia Treadway. "The center strives to reduce domestic violence incidents and increase knowledge, self-esteem and empowerment throughout the county by providing services to the community, promoting community awareness and providing support for victims," said Treadway.
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An article in the Cavalier Daily Thursday morning is drawing a lot of attention. The editorial recommends making rape a violation under the University of Virginia honor code.
At UVA, sexual offenses may not get you kicked out of the university, but honor code violations will. Right now, UVA honor code violations are lying, cheating and stealing. But the article has sparked a conversation about change.
"The University of Virginia was expelling cheaters but we weren't expelling rapists," said Charlie Tyson, executive director of the Cavalier Daily.
That issue sparked Tyson to write an article urging that rape become an honor offense.
Tyson says he didn't write the article to change the code, but rather to spark conversation.
And it turns out a lot of people think changes should be made "Sexual misconduct is definitely a breach of - serious violation that should constitute an honor offense," said second-year student Nico Narel.
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