IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 737 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the relation-
ship between firearm violence and intimate partner violence and to honor 
the memory of Gladys Ricart and other victims of intimate partner 
homicide killed by firearms, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 
Mr. ESPAILLAT (for himself, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. 
KELLY of Illinois, and Ms. JACKSON LEE) submitted the following resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regard-
ing the relationship between firearm violence and inti-
mate partner violence and to honor the memory of Glad-
ys Ricart and other victims of intimate partner homicide 
killed by firearms, and for other purposes. 
Whereas domestic violence perpetrated with a firearm dis-
proportionately affects millions of American adults and 
children, with a particular impact on women; 
Whereas, according to recent data, nearly 92 percent of 
women killed by firearms in high-income countries in an 
average year are from the United States; 
Whereas firearms are used in nearly 66 percent of cases 
where women are killed by their intimate partners; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:18 Sep 29, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR737.IH
HR737
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 737 IH 
Whereas every month an average of 57 women are killed with 
a firearm by an intimate partner; 
Whereas an American woman is killed with a firearm by a 
current or former partner around every 12 hours; 
Whereas approximately 59 percent of mass shootings in re-
cent years were connected to instances of domestic or in-
timate partner violence; 
Whereas only 16 percent of victims in domestic violence-re-
lated mass shootings survive such incidents compared to 
37 percent of victims in mass shootings unrelated to do-
mestic violence; 
Whereas nearly 1 in 10 United States adults have experi-
enced nonfatal firearm abuse at the hands of an intimate 
partner, such as being threatened directly with a firearm 
or by a partner who possessed or had easy access to a 
firearm; 
Whereas, when an abusive partner has access to a firearm, 
a female victim of such abuse is five times more likely to 
be killed; 
Whereas 80 percent of firearm intimate partner homicide vic-
tims are female; 
Whereas the deadly intersection of firearms and intimate 
partner violence affects all women, but it has a dispropor-
tionate impact on Black women, American Indian/Alaska 
Native women, and Hispanic women in the United 
States; 
Whereas 1 in 3 Hispanic women in the United States experi-
ence intimate partner violence during their lifetime; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:18 Sep 29, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR737.IH
HR737
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 737 IH 
Whereas more than half of American Indian and Alaska Na-
tive women experience physical violence by an intimate 
partner in their lifetime; and 
Whereas compared to non-Hispanic White women, Black 
women in the United States are three times more likely 
to be fatally shot by an intimate partner, and nearly five 
times more likely to be fatally shot between the ages of 
18 and 34: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That— 
(1) the House of Representatives— 
(A) recognizes the relationship between 
firearm violence and intimate partner violence; 
(B) commends domestic violence victim ad-
vocates, domestic violence victim service pro-
viders, crisis hotline staff, and first responders 
serving victims of domestic violence for their 
compassionate support of survivors of domestic 
violence; and 
(C) pledges to fund comprehensive re-
search on the nexus of firearms and intimate 
partner violence, including the disproportionate 
impact on Black, American Indian/Alaska Na-
tive, and Hispanic people; and 
(2) it is the sense of the House of Representa-
tives that the Congress should— 
(A) strengthen the National Instant Crimi-
nal Background Check System to keep firearms 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:18 Sep 29, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR737.IH
HR737
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 737 IH 
out of the hands of those who are prohibited 
from possessing them; 
(B) restrict access to firearms by all people 
subject to domestic violence restraining orders; 
(C) continue to support programs designed 
to assist survivors of domestic violence, hold 
perpetrators of domestic violence accountable, 
and bring an end to domestic violence; 
(D) continue to support local relinquish-
ment processes to ensure compliance with Fed-
eral firearm prohibitions in domestic violence 
cases; and 
(E) immediately consider H.R. 905, the 
Strengthening Protections for Domestic Vio-
lence and Stalking Survivors Act of 2023, H.R. 
715, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 
2023, and all other relevant legislation that is 
targeted towards reducing the risk of firearm 
violence, reducing the risk of intimate partner 
violence, and recognizing and combatting the 
deadly relationship between the two. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:18 Sep 29, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR737.IH
HR737
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB