January 23

Spotlight: Intersection of Gun Violence and Domestic Violence

January 23, 7:00 pm

There are about 393 million privately owned firearms in the U.S., according to an estimate by the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey.

That translates to 120 guns for every 100 Americans which is the highest rate of any country in the world, and more than double the rate of the next country on the list.

There are about 4.5 million women in the U.S. who have been threatened with a gun. Nearly 1 million women have been shot/shot at by an intimate partner. A woman is 5 times more likely to be murdered when her abuser has access to a gun.

59.1% of mass shootings between 2014 and 2019 were domestic violence (DV) related and in 68.2% of mass shootings, the perpetrator either killed at least one partner or family member or had a history of DV.

The links between gun violence and domestic violence are significant. Expanding our understanding of how these public health crises intersect can help us to strategically advocate for vigorous, effective education, actions, and policies. 

Lisa Geller, MPH, State Affairs Advisor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Lisa studies policies to reduce gun violence and uses research to promote evidence-based gun policies at the state level.

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