Key Messages Assignment

Elevator Pitch:

The Georgia state legislature must pass a law prohibiting individuals convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors or subjected to domestic violence protective orders from possessing firearms or ammunition. Unlike federal law, Georgia law does not prohibit these dangerous individuals from accessing firearms or ammunition. When a perpetrator of domestic violence has access to a gun, they become a greater risk to their partner, families, friends, coworkers, and responding law enforcement officers. Around 92% of women killed by guns in high-income countries were American, making domestic violence perpetrated with a firearm disproportionately affecting American women.

When a perpetrator of domestic violence has access to a gun the situation is more likely to become fatal.

• Over half of all intimate partner homicides are committed with guns.

• A female victim of domestic violence is five times more likely to be murdered when her abuser has access to a gun.

• Over 4.5 million women have reported being threatened with a gun by an intimate partner.

• 2/3 of women killed by an intimate partner are killed with a gun.

Domestic violence perpetrated with a firearm disproportionately affects American women.

• 91.6% of women killed by guns in high-income countries were American women, while 8.4% resided in other high-income countries.

• Women in the US are 28 times more likely to die from a firearm homicide than women in peer nations. Intimate partner violence is a significant cause of this high number.

• 2 in 5 female firearm homicide victims in the United States were killed by a current or former intimate partner.

Abusers with guns are not only a risk to their partners but also their families, friends, coworkers, and responding law enforcement officers.

• 3 in 4 children and teens killed in mass shootings died in an incident connected to domestic violence.

• In data from 16 states, it was found 2/3 of child fatalities coinciding with domestic violence were caused by guns.

• Children who survive and witness the death of a parent from intimate partner violence are more likely to suffer from PTSD, behavioral problems, and suicidal thoughts.

• A study involving intimate partner homicides across 16 states found 1 in 5 victims were family members, children, friends, persons who intervened, first responders, and strangers.

• Many law enforcement officers consider intimate partner violence incidents the most dangerous assignments primarily because of the abusers’ use of guns.