LETTER: Barclay’s domestic violence ‘solutions’ don’t go far enough

To the editor:

A few weeks ago there was a column by State Assemblyman Barclay, “Time to change the laws to better protect victims of domestic violence,” in which Barclay voices his opinion that state laws against domestic violence need to be changed to better protect victims. While I agree wholeheartedly with the premise, I found the solutions presented by Barclay to be inadequate and do not go far enough to effect real and positive change in this area.

Barclay asserts in his article, and I believe as well, that children are often secondary victims of domestic abuse. Barclay proposes a felony charge be brought against anyone committing domestic abuse in front of a child. On its face I agree with this measure; however, it exposes a flaw in the system wherein the original violent act is not a felony, only the secondary act of allowing a minor to witness it makes it a felony. By not penalizing the original violence to the same or greater extent, it minimizes the primary victim, whom often times are women. We shouldn’t need a secondary reason to penalize abusers, the system needs to change.

Simply punishing the aggressor and taking no other action will not change behavior, present or future. It’s widely acknowledged that children who witness abuse often have a higher incidence of depression, drug abuse and repeating the behaviors of either the abuser or the victim. Anger management and counseling should be required for the violent party, with appropriate mental health services available to all of the victims. Without interrupting the cycle of abuse and offering a way out, many families will stay stuck in the vicious rut of violence. Barclay points out the services available in our community but offers no real solution to the original problem of domestic violence.

In December, state legislation was introduced that would remove all firearms from the homes of domestic abusers. The issue was raised because in almost all incidences of domestic violence that end in gun-related deaths, there have been previous domestic abuse charges against the aggressor. Barclay does not address this common sense and proactive approach.

If Mr. Barclay truly cares about the wellbeing of victims in his district then he would put them ahead of his ‘A’ rating from the NRA and push to remove firearms from domestic abusers.

The laws on domestic violence need to change, so let’s change them in effective ways that truly have a chance of making a difference. Remove guns from domestic abusers and offer counseling to all involved to try and break the cycle. It’s time to be proactive in healing our nation. Our society can no longer sustain reactive measures. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. Barclay’s proposals are simply more insanity. Let’s get ahead of the issue and stop the cycle altogether. I’m Gail Tosh and I’m running for State Assembly. We can enact change together.