BUFFALO, N.Y. — Federal legislation for years has barred people convicted of domestic violence from possessing of a gun, if they were married, lived with, or shared a child with the person they committed the crime against.

However, advocates for survivors said there was a very glaring loophole.

"The ‘if I can't have her, nobody can’ attitude that we see so often with abusers can certainly apply to people in a dating relationship," said YWCA of Niagara vice president of programs, Mary Brennan-Taylor.

Brennan-Taylor said the law didn't account for abusers in a romantic relationship who did not meet one of the three stipulations. The federal gun package the president signed this weekend would instead only require a victim to prove the relationship.

"This is a very positive thing for women across the country who are in a life-threatening situation day in and day out and currently have no protections," Brennan-Taylor said.

According to Everytown For Gun Safety, 31 states prohibit convicted domestic abusers from having guns and New York's law actually does close the so-called "boyfriend loophole."

However, Brennan-Taylor said the federal action is still important and welcomed.

"This is going to make it nationwide and save thousands of lives," she said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1,000 women are killed by their abusers with a gun every year and about half of those victims are not married to the killer.