Gun violence is no stranger to the United States. Whether it be from mass shootings, police brutality, domestic violence or suicide, the number of death by firearms in the states is astounding. All together there are 393 million civilian owned guns in the United States, which is enough for every man, woman and child, and still have 67 million guns left over, according to a recent study done by Small Arms Survey in Geneva. Moreover, in 2015, the amount of deaths by firearms (36,252) exceeded the amount of deaths by car accidents (36,161), according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention. Not only that, but since 1968 more individuals in the US have died from gun-related deaths than those who have died in combat (NBC). It is quite evident that guns have an extreme presence within the United States compared to other developed countries.
While it seems that events such as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting or the hate crime at the Tree of Life synagogue shooting make up the majority of gun-related deaths due to the heavy news coverage, mass shootings represented only 2% of all the 39,000 gun-related deaths in 2016 (Vox). In reality, suicide and domestic abuse embody the bulk of gun-related deaths each year. Studies show that a person who attempts suicide by gun opposed to other methods are two times more likely to be successful. Likewise, guns deeply increase the risk of death involved in domestic violence. Women in the United States are 16 times more likely to be killed by a firearm than women in other developed countries. Correspondingly, 4.5 million American women who are alive today have been threatened by a gun by an intimate partner (Every Town Research). These statistics raise the question of why has legislation not been passed to stop these rapidly increasing numbers and will it every be?
The answer is yes. Thankfully, the newly diverse House has endorsed a Violence Against Women Act that would broaden the ability of law enforcement to restrict the purchase of guns by convicted domestic abusers. This includes people who are under a restraining order and/or charged with abuse, assault, or stalking. In the past, legislation that would prevent domestic abusers from obtaining a firearm legally was barred because of the strong hold the NRA had over many Republican house members. Yet, because the House has been revamped into a democratic majority the NRA has lost their control over most of the legislative branch. When the bill was being debated, the NRA threatened the House by stating they would publish how each member voting, attempting to intimidate Republicans in to voting no. However, the House has finally broken away from the long-living restraints of the NRA, as the legislation passed with flying colors in a 263-158 vote. This legislation holds cause for celebration as, according to Lisette Johnson, a member of the Everytown Survivor Network and survivor of domestic abuse herself, “This wasn’t a gun bill — this is a bill to protect women. This passing today is really a huge support for women and keeping them safer.”
Furthermore, this legislation has the potential to prevent mass shootings in the future. According to Everytown’s analysis, between 2009 and 2016 54% of mass shooters also killed a family member or intimate partner. This notion holds truth as the Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza, first killed his mother in her home before commiting the atrocious attack on the elementary school (CNN). Similarly, the Texas gunman who killed 26 innocent people at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs had already been court-martialed for assaulting his wife and young child in 2012 (NPR). This connection between domestic abusers and mass shooters exists because “generally, it fits a pattern of easy access to firearms of individuals who have very controlling kind of relationships with their intimate partners and are greatly threatened when their control is challenged,” according to Daniel Webster, the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research. This legislation has the ability to greatly protect women against horrific abuses, diminish the considerable threat that mass shootings hold, and overall decrease the soaring statistics that the United States is experiencing. This bill is the hope that our nation needs.