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Domestic Violence

Issues

Domestic Violence

What is the problem?

Domestic violence and gun violence are deeply interconnected, impacting millions of women, families, and communities across the U.S. Guns are more likely to turn abuse fatal.

In the U.S., the crisis of domestic violence is closely linked to the widespread and growing use of guns by abusers. Two-thirds of women killed by an intimate partner are killed with a gun. Existing loopholes in federal and state law allow access to guns by abusive partners and stalkers, often with deadly results. The evidence is clear: Common-sense laws that keep guns out of the hands of abusive partners reduce gun violence and domestic violence.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, available 24/7, for confidential assistance from a trained advocate. You can also find more resources on legal assistance in English and Spanish at WomensLaw.org

Why is it an issue?

Guns can turn domestic violence deadly.

Abusers use guns to threaten and control victims. These threats often escalate to murder. Every month, an average of 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner and nearly 1 million women alive today have reported being shot or shot at by intimate partners. The ripple effects of guns in the hands of an abuser extend far beyond the intimate relationship. This affects children, family members, coworkers, and the law enforcement officers who respond to it. The deadly intersection of guns and domestic violence has a disproportionate impact on Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Latina women. Research clearly shows that federal and state policies and practices that disrupt abusers’ access to guns can save lives.

By the numbers

What are the solutions?

Survivor Story

Black Stories

Crystal Turner: ‘Not only am I here for you, I’m right beside you in this fight’

On April 1, 2015, Crystal Turner received a phone call that dramatically changed her life. When her phone rang at noon that day, she learned that her daughter, Jenea Harvison, 29, and her son, Donell McDonald Jr., 23, had been murdered by Jenea’s estranged husband, in the parking lot of… Continue

You might be wondering…

  1. 1 What is the “boyfriend loophole”?
  2. 2 What is Domestic Violence Awareness Month?