The bill establishing a public registry of domestic violence offenders was named after Savanna Puckett, a Robertson County sheriff’s deputy who was shot and killed by her abusive boyfriend in 2022.
Her mom, Kim Dodson, told lawmakers that Puckett had searched her boyfriend’s criminal history when he started showing concerning behaviors. She said all that came back was a marijuana charge – yet he had a lengthy history of domestic assault.
“I just have to think if there would have been a domestic violence registry in place while my daughter was alive maybe she would still be here,” Dodson told lawmakers during a committee hearing. “But she’s not. Maybe we can save the next victim.”
The registry will be public, maintained by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. If someone has a prior domestic violence charge and is convicted for a second time after the bill goes into effect, the court will order the defendant to register as a persistent domestic violence offender.
It requires the offender’s name, date of birth, conviction date, counties of conviction, and a current photograph. Offenders can be removed from the registry after several years, depending on how many prior convictions they have.
While lawmakers and advocates said the registry will serve as a tool for people to keep themselves safe from domestic abusers, it could also be used in another way.
People convicted of domestic violence charges in Tennessee are barred from having a gun. And Tennessee allows for private gun sales without a background check. So, the registry could be checked during private gun sales to make sure the buyer is allowed to have a firearm.
More: How Tennessee’s justice system allows dangerous people to keep guns — with deadly outcomes
However, advocates for domestic violence victims say there is little evidence to support registries like this one increasing victim safety or offender accountability.
“The assumption is that if a person was to find their current or potential love interest listed in a domestic violence registry, they can simply avoid or end the relationship to maintain their safety,” writes the Safety Net Project from the National Network to End Domestic Violence. “This ignores the complexity and context of domestic violence, and the reality that most homicides of women and their children occur when the person is attempting to leave or have left the relationship.
Domestic violence is a persistent problem in Tennessee — the state often ranks in the top 10 for women killed by men, and most of those homicides are committed with a firearm.
WPLN and ProPublica have been investigating how often domestic violence homicides are committed by someone who was prohibited from having a weapon because of previous violent felony convictions or domestic violence convictions. Our investigation has found that roughly one in four homicide victims were shot and killed by someone who should not have had a firearm.
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