Service Member Domestic Abuse to be Tracked Separately
August 08, 2018
Until now, domestic violence and assault have both been categorized as the same crime, according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
This month President Trump signed the Annual Defense Authorization Act into law. This act included a 2.6 percent pay raise for troops, but also classified Domestic Violence a separate crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
This means that previously, any domestic abuse cases committed by service members carried only an assault charge. While this still carried consequences such as jail time and being discharged from the armed forces, it was not tracked separately by civilian authorities after they left the service. This means a person convicted as such while still in the military was not subject to restrictions that prevented them from purchasing firearms when they separated.
The issue of domestic violence being tracked separately was brought up last year when Devin Kelly, a former airman, gunned down 26 people at a church in Texas. While serving, Kelly was convicted of domestic abuse and discharged from the military, but the crime was tracked as assault by civilian authorities. If the crime had been relayed to outside authorities as abuse, Kelly would not have been able to purchase firearms.
Do you think there are further steps that could be taken to help limit those accused of domestic abuse?
