Domestic Violence & Firearms Summit Recap
“Domestic violence is the single greatest predictor of future violent crime” –David Martin, King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
On Tuesday, June 19, 2018 YWCA Spokane CEO Regina Malveaux provided opening remarks at the Domestic Violence and Firearms Summit hosted by the Alliance for Gun Responsibility and the Seattle based Regional Domestic Violence Firearms Enforcement Unit.
This summit was focused on the intersection of domestic violence and firearms with the goal of implementing policies and practices that keep victims safer. This is critical because in 2013-2014 alone, 54% of perpetrators in domestic violence related shooting fatalities were prohibited from owning guns under Washington State Law [WSCADV.org].
“In 2013 twice as many women were murdered by intimate partners in the U.S. as armed services deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan.” -Chris Anderson, Director, Domestic Violence Unit, Seattle City Attorney’s Office
MORE FACTS ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & FIRE ARMS:
- According to the FBI, there were 238 domestic violence homicides in Washington from 2003 to 2012, which include both male and female victims. Of those homicides, more than half of the victims—51.7 percent—were killed with guns. [Giffords Law Center]
- The presence of a gun makes it five times more likely domestic violence will turn deadly. [Everytown.org]
- If you’re a woman living in the United States, you are 11 times more likely to die from gun violence than in any other developed nation in the world. [YWCA USA]
- And, if you’re a woman of color, the lethality risk is increased. African American women are 2.3 times more likely than white women to be shot and killed by an intimate partner. [VPC.org]
- Perpetrators with access to firearms are five to eight times more likely to kill their partners than those without firearms. [YWCA USA]
The Good News: The Regional Domestic Violence Firearms Enforcement Unit have collected 50 guns in Seattle and King County between January 2018- March 2018. In one case, 30 guns were picked up from one person. About 141 firearms were relinquished during a three-month pilot in 2017 — more than all the guns collected by Seattle and King County law enforcement in 2016.
SAVE THE DATE: DV & Firearms Summit to be held here in Spokane at the Philanthropy Center on Thursday, October 25th. The event will be co-hosted by the Alliance for Gun Responsibility and the YWCA Spokane.
By: Naomi Teeter
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