Senator Murray Helps Secure DOJ Funding for Gun Violence Prevention Funding in Yakima

Yakima will receive $500,000 as part of a Department of Justice program to reduce domestic violence committed with firearms

Senator Murray: “By providing funding directly to communities, DOJ is giving cities like Yakima the resources and support they need to keep people safe in their own home.”

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced the selection of Yakima by the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Violence Against Women to participate in the Firearms Technical Assistance Project (FTAP) expansion. The DOJ is awarding $500,o00 to each of the six newly selected sites, including the City of Yakima. This is part of the DOJ’s ongoing effort to help communities across the country reduce domestic violence homicides and injuries committed with firearms.

“As we work to end gun violence and domestic violence in our communities, these federal dollars will help save lives,” said Senator Murray. “I’m glad to see Yakima selected as a Firearms Technical Assistance Project site. By providing funding directly to communities, DOJ is giving cities like Yakima the resources and support they need to keep people safe in their own home. In Congress, I’m proud to have recently helped close the boyfriend loophole to finally keep firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers and I’ll keep working to build safer communities every way that I can.”

Yakima and the other new FTAP sites will receive direct financial support as well as technical assistance designed to help each site implement best practices for preventing the use of firearms in domestic violence and incorporate community partners into their efforts to implement effective responses to firearms and domestic violence. FTAP is a part of the DOJ’s comprehensive strategy for reducing violent crime and was included in the White House’s Fact Sheet on Highlights from the Biden Administration’s Historic Efforts to Reduce Gun Violence. 

Senator Murray has been a longtime champion of preventing domestic violence and supporting survivors. Senator Murray voted to help pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which became law last month, and includes provisions to closes the boyfriend loophole. Senator Murray was a coauthor of the original Violence Against Women Act and has continued to fight for its reauthorization and to expand protections and resources for more women in at-risk communities, including tribal women, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, and women on college campuses. Senator Murray has also reintroduced the Security and Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Act to help break down economic barriers for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

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