A bill was recently introduced in the U.S. House to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. But already the gun lobby has made it clear whose side it’s on—and it’s not the side of women.

Congress let VAWA lapse earlier this year, but in early March, California congresswoman Karen Bass introduced The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019. This new bill effectively closes the loopholes that allow dating partners convicted of domestic violence and convicted stalkers to buy guns. It would also require state law enforcement officials to be notified every time a person who is not allowed to have guns tries to buy a firearm and fails the background check.In short, the new VAWA has the potential to significantly reduce gun violence against women.

The NRA says it opposes VAWA because guns could be removed “over misdemeanor domestic violence or stalking convictions.” It says it spends “millions of dollars teaching countless Americans how not to be a victim and how to safely use firearms for self-defense.”

But here’s the truth: The NRA would rather protect domestic abusers to sell more guns than protect abused women. In fact, the NRA has said women sometimes lie about abuse, which is partly why they try to block state laws that broaden the definition of a domestic abuser to include dating partners and stalkers. And it works to ensure stalkers stay armed. Women like Tyesha McNair, who was shot and killed by the father of her children in 2009 after she got a protective order against him and was preparing to flee his abuse. Women like Zina Daniel, whose estranged husband exploited a loophole to buy a gun online after she filed a restraining order against him and killed her and two others with it in 2012. Women like Jitka Vesel, whose stalker was able to illegally buy a gun in 2011 and shoot her in a parking lot, killing her.