It's our sanctuary at the end of a tough day or a long week. Home is the place where the bonds between husband and wife and parents and children are established and strengthened, where families are built. Yet the horrible truth is that for far too many, home is not a shelter from the storms of life. Instead, it's a place of turmoil and terror. Rather than being a place where relationships are nurtured, many homes harbor violent people bent on victimizing vulnerable family members.
Domestic violence is a nation tragedy.
It's the enemy of all that is good about marriage and family. And policy-makers at all levels of government must work to end the silent suffering of abused wives and children. This important responsibility brings us now to the consideration of the gun ban for those convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors. First, let me say that in my view, those who have been convicted of a violent crime, any violent crime, should not be permitted to possess a firearm. The rate of violent crime in our country is four times higher than it was at the beginning of the 1960s.