16 For example, in the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, the gunman first shot his grandmother before killing 21 people at Robb Elementary School. In about 68 percent of all mass shootings from 2014 to 2019, the perpetrator either killed at least one family member or had a history of domestic violence.Two-thirds of all mass shootings occur during a domestic violence incident.Therefore, keeping guns out of the hands of abusers can prevent mass shootings: 8ĭespite major headlines surrounding public mass shootings, 14 the majority of mass shootings start in the home and are related to domestic violence. For example, California, which received an A rating in 2020 for its gun laws, sees some of the lowest rates of female gun homicides. States that received an “F” rating in the Giffords Law Center’s 2021 Annual Gun Law Scorecard 7 for their weak gun laws have higher rates of female firearm homicide than states with an “A” rating.

Weak gun laws are associated with higher firearm homicide rates for women. Strong gun laws protect survivors of domestic violence However, more must be done to ensure the safety of women and survivors of domestic violence. Recently, Congress has taken steps in the right direction to close the dangerous gaps in legislation that allow abusers to access guns. Weak gun laws increase the number of violent crimes committed against women, and the states with the worst gun laws in the country experience some of the highest rates of firearm homicide against women. 5 Women across the country face a gun homicide rate of 1.49 homicides per 100,000 women, but Black women face a rate of 3.92-more than three times higher than that of white women, for whom it is 1.07. 4 Black women, for example, experience the highest rate of gun homicides across all races in the United States. 3 Women, people in the LGBTQIA+ community, racial and ethnic minority women, and people with disabilities are at greater risk of domestic violence, and guns only exacerbate this harm. However, certain groups of people experience a disproportionate rate of domestic violence. Domestic violence affects all people regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. While not all gun violence against women is committed in a domestic violence context, it represents a large share of the violence committed against this demographic. 1 Additionally, more than 50 percent of all intimate partner-related murders of women were committed with a firearm. In fact, the presence of a firearm in the home during a domestic violence incident increases the risk of death fivefold. Most women who die by gun violence are killed in an intimate partner or domestic violence context. Violence against women is a public health crisis, and guns make violent crimes against women exceptionally more deadly.

Statistical calculations on gun control