Everytown for Gun Safety, West Virginia Moms, Condemn Senate Passage of Dangerous Gun Bill That Would Allow Domestic Abusers to Carry Loaded, Hidden Handguns

Charleston, West Virginia – The West Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today released the following statement condemning the Senate passage of SB 347.
If SB 347 were to become law, it would effectively dismantle the state concealed carry licensing system. Most notably, the bill puts West Virginian women at risk as this dangerous legislation would lower the bar for who can carry concealed guns, allowing domestic abusers subject to emergency domestic violence protective orders and certain violent gun criminals to carry hidden, loaded guns in public.

“Dismantling our concealed carry licensing system and lowering the bar to allow domestic abusers to carry guns puts women in West Virginia in danger. By passing SB 347, the Senate proved that they don’t value the lives of women in our state,” said Dee Price, a volunteer with the West Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation makes it five times more likely that a woman will be killed – and legislation like SB 347 will not improve this scary statistic. It’s time for our legislators to reject this dangerous bill.”

Further Research on Guns and Domestic Violence

– Women in the U.S. are 11 times more likely to be murdered with guns than women in other high-income countries
– 57 percent of mass shootings involve incidents of domestic violence
– 54 percent of women killed with guns are killed by intimate partners or family members

You can find more research on the connection between guns and domestic violence here.