TIFTON — A recent Supreme Court decision has reinforced a gun control law protecting domestic violence victims, and Tift County support networks for said demographic are optimistic of the effects this change will have.

Supreme Court justices ruled 8-1 in favor of a 1994 gun control law that would impose a ban on firearms for any person under a restraining order from a spouse or partner, overturning a ruling made by the federal court of appeals in New Orleans that had previously struck down the law.

In making the decision, Chief Justice John Roberts stated the law used “common sense” and would apply after a judge had deemed a person posed a legitimate threat of violence.

Many within the Tifton judicial circuit and local support centers for victims of domestic violence were elated at the result; Jody Spooner, program director for the court’s Office of Victim Assistance, claimed the ruling was “what needed to happen.”

Spooner stated that gun-related domestic violence had always been a persistent issue, especially in Georgia, which ranks near the higher end of domestic violence rates nationwide. She was grateful for the Supreme Court’s decision and hopeful that it would help prevent future domestic violence.

Nancy Bryan, executive director of domestic and sexual violence victim shelter Ruth’s Cottage and Patticake House, also expressed appreciation for the ruling.

Bryan noted that the nonprofit had been founded in response to domestic violence involving firearms, and so was very satisfied for the increased protection for victims of similar cases, feeling the renewed ban would reassure and help them feel safer.

“We’re very pleased with the decision,” Bryan said. “This is a win for victims of domestic violence.”

The case was the second gun-related case the Supreme Court has decided since the justices expanded gun rights in 2022, according to reporting by The Associated Press. On June 14, the court overturned a Trump-era ban on bump stocks, the rapid-fire gun accessories used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The court ruled that the Justice Department exceeded its authority in imposing that ban.

Friday’s case also had been closely watched for its potential to affect cases in which other gun ownership laws have been called into question, including in the high-profile prosecution of Hunter Biden, the AP story said. Biden’s son was convicted of lying on a form to buy a firearm while he was addicted to drugs. His lawyers have signaled they will appeal.

A decision to strike down the domestic violence gun law might have signaled the court’s skepticism of the other laws as well. But Friday’s decision did not suggest that the court would necessarily uphold those law either.

The justices could weigh in soon in one or more of those other cases, the AP article said.