Leveraging the Center’s Legal Expertise to Safeguard Gun Safety Laws
Center Impact
Kelly Roskam, JD, Director of Law and Policy at the Center for Gun Violence Solutions, is a seasoned gun violence prevention advocate who applies legal expertise to advance lifesaving policies.
Recent Supreme Court rulings have created a crucial role for Kelly and her team to apply legal expertise to help safeguard gun safety laws. Kelly led the drafting and filing of an Amicus brief that informed the Supreme Court’s June 2024 decision to uphold the ban on domestic abusers possessing firearms.
An Amicus brief is a legal document submitted to the Supreme Court by individuals or organizations who are not directly involved in a case but have a strong interest in its outcome. It offers expert insight to help the Court understand the broader implications of the decision.
In 2023, the Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal of the 5th Circuit Court ruling in U.S. v. Rahimi, which struck down a federal law that prohibits persons subject to a final domestic violence protection order from possessing or purchasing a firearm.
Kelly Roskam, JD, Director of Law and Policy at the Center
In response, Kelly and the Center swiftly mobilized to submit an Amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to overturn the 5th Circuit ruling. Kelly led the effort to gather signaturesfrom a broad coalition of 111 public health researchers and attorneys, including representatives from the University of Michigan, Columbia University, University of California at Davis, Yale University and the University of Washington.
To help the general public understand the complex legal arguments of the Rahimi case our team translated the arguments of our Amicus brief into a straightforward, in-depth Q&A, which explored its far-reaching implications.
The Center also hosted a webinar outlining what the case could mean for survivors of domestic violence and highlighting key arguments made in our Amicus brief. The eventdrew over 300 live attendees and featured analysis by the Center, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and National Domestic Violence Hotline, and Hunter Legal Center for Victims of Crimes Against Women at the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. The webinar has since been viewed nearly 900 times online.
Center experts collaborated with the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s communications team to host an expert media briefing after Supreme Court oral arguments.
The Center’s analysis was highlighted by hundreds of media outlets, translating the impact of the case to a broad audience. Coverage included ABC News, Good Morning America, CNN, WBUR and in Newsweek, The Guardian, PBS Newshour, and The Baltimore Sun.
Center faculty & staff outside of the U.S. Supreme Court building during oral arguments in the U.S. vs Rahimi SCOTUS case.
In June 2024, the Supreme Court overturned the ban, upholding the law keeping guns away from violent domestic abusers.
The Center’s multi-faceted response to the potential threat the Supreme Court’s U.S. v. Rahimi case posed to public health illustrates its unique interdisciplinary approach. The Center leverages its position in the nation’s top-rated school of public health, communication platforms, and national networks to amplify its gun violence prevention expertise to educate and advocate for data-driven gun policies.
