"The Supreme Court today affirmed what we know -- domestic violence escalates and is often deadly. Ensuring that convicted abusers do not have access to firearms will save lives," said Kim Gandy, president and CEO of the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

Everytown for Gun Safety legal director Elizabeth Avore called the decision an important win for public safety.

"Access to a gun is what often turns domestic abuse into murder," she said in a statement. "That’s why the Supreme Court’s rejection of dangerous arguments that would have eviscerated federal gun laws and allowed dangerous convicted abusers to legally possess guns in more than two-thirds of states is so significant."

Judge Judy Harris Kluger, executive director of Sanctuary for Families, applauded the decision, but noted that loopholes in current law allow convicted abusers to skirt federal gun restrictions.

"Today’s ruling is an important victory, but without mandatory background checks on all gun purchasers, domestic abusers still can legally obtain guns without further scrutiny," she said in a statement.