Nashville DA's domestic violence team seizes first gun

About six months after it was formed, Nashville's specialized domestic violence prosecution and support team has seized its first gun from a convicted offender.

Officials said last week a 9 mm handgun was taken from a man's home after he was convicted of assaulting his girlfriend. They declined to name the man, citing concern that would identify the victim.

Tennessee law allows the seizure of guns after misdemeanor domestic violence convictions and when there is an order of protection in a case.

It also allows defendants to give their guns to other people, such as friends and family members, if they are convicted. That option has been a roadblock preventing more seizures, said Tali Rosenblum, an assistant district attorney who leads the domestic violence team.

Now the District Attorney's Office is working to create protocols to be able to remove more weapons after convictions, Dorinda Carter, a spokeswoman for the office, said.

Removing weapons will help prevent future crime and retribution on victims, officials said when the prosecution unit was announced last fall, adding that half of all violent crimes are related to domestic violence.

"We know that tempers are high in domestic situations," District Attorney Glenn Funk said. "In order to ensure the safety of all parties, it is important to take weapons out of the environment."

The unit was formed in November as a way to provide greater support and manpower to prevent and stop domestic violence, an issue that was key to Funk's election campaign last year.

The domestic violence unit includes eight lawyers. Funk hired on two former court officers, Tim Dickerson and Terry Faimon, to go out into the community and help victims and defendants get to court, as well as seize weapons after convictions.

Reach Stacey Barchenger at 615-726-8968 and on Twitter @sbarchenger.