Protection From Abuse Act is toothless

I read the May 13 PG article “Woman Slain After Car Crash Had PFA Order” on the tragic incident where Mary Jo Kornick was killed by her dating partner, Nicholas Domek, and the vaunted new and improved Protection From Abuse Act didn’t protect her. It is truly a heartbreaking tragedy.

Last year, the legislature passed HB 2060 with loud, bombastic promises that things like this would not happen anymore. The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, CeaseFire PA and Mom’s Demand Action, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, advanced those promises over our objections that these groups and certain legislators were “ignoring” the warning signs that HB 2060 would do nothing to stop these incidents.

This tragedy, and all the ones to come, rest squarely on the shoulders of those who pushed this legislation instead of doing something worthwhile to help the abused victims and put effective measures in place. The PG article illustrates those problems of failing to deal with criminally violent individuals properly. Instead, the groups above puff up their chests and push gun control in the place of truly effective policies. Not to worry, as the anti-gun groups got their “victory” over the gun lobby but, predictably, they’ll show no concern that all their promises failed to deliver for Ms. Kornick.

I have had two family members face similar problems but they had me when the system failed. Poor Ms. Kornick was mired in a system that is hopelessly stuck in agenda-driven politics where victims are routinely left to fend for themselves.

We told legislators this would continue to happen and would only get worse. It’s a shame that legislators ignored the warning signs and most in the media bought into the lies of PCADV and the anti-gun groups. Our hearts go out to Ms. Kornick’s family.