COLUMBIA--Under federal law, domestic violence offenders can lose their guns and a new campaign seeks to make sure victims are aware.

A gun control group and a domestic violence center say victims of domestic violence often don't get enough protection from the criminal justice system when their abuser has a gun.

The groups are distributing pamphlets to women's shelters to inform the victims of legal action they can take if they fear for their safety.

South Carolina leads the nation in the rate of women killed by men. It ranks fifth in the number of women killed by guns in domestic violence cases between 1999 and 2001.

Americans for Gun Safety Foundation and the National Network Against Domestic Violence say many women are slipping through the cracks because judges and police officers don't pay enough attention to the risks a gun poses in a volatile domestic violence case.

"Many women are unaware of the federal law which restricts gun ownership and possession from criminal and domestic violence offenders," said Vicki Bourus, director of the S.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in Columbia.

Federal law states that it is illegal for an abuser convicted of any felony or a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence to have a gun. But because South Carolina law does not specifically address the issue, the federal law often is not enforced, Bourus said.

"It would be really effective if we could encourage law enforcement to take guns at the time of arrest," Bourus said. "We're not talking about taking guns away from reasonable people."

A bill has passed a House Judiciary subcommittee that could give South Carolina a defined state law on the issue.

Rep. Joel Lourie, who sponsored the bill, said it would give judges full discretion to remove guns from convicted domestic violence offenders.

States with similar legislation have seen a 10 to 12 percent reduction in the number of domestic homicides of women, said Lourie, D-Columbia.

The national campaign began this week for "Stop Violence Against Women Week" in Washington.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., said the failure by officials to follow through on gun restrictions show "how difficult it is to get real protection out of a protective order."

Bourus said the pamphlets will help women in South Carolina understand the law.

"We know what happens with domestic violence cases," she said. "It doesn't get better, it just gets worse."