Gov. Hochul Signs Laws to Protect Victims of Domestic Violence

Image by Darren McGee / Office of Governor Kathy Hochul.

ALBANY, N.Y. (WENY) – Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation on Tuesday to protect victims of domestic violence from armed abusive partners.

Courts are now required to order the seizure of guns owned by abusive partners if they do not surrender them first. In order for that to happen, someone must first ignore a court order issued in connection with an order of protection.

Part of a five bill package, the new laws will also enhance confidentiality and financial protections for victims.

More than 195,000 domestic violence orders of protection were issued in New York in 2021, an 18 percent increase from 2020.

One third of all domestic violence acts were committed using a gun.

The governor said that since the pandemic one out of three women and as many as one out of four men has experienced some form of intimate violence or emotional trauma from a partner.