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To the editor:
Hope’s Door, which seeks to end domestic violence, is deeply disappointed at the U.S. Senate's failure to pass Sen. Chris Murphy's (D-Conn.) common-sense legislation needed to curb gun violence.
With his courageous filibuster, Murphy positioned the Senate to take meaningful action to keep guns out of the hands of abusers and others prohibited by law from owning firearms. Our U.S. Senate squandered that opportunity and set the stage for future violence.
The intersection between domestic violence and firearms is well-documented. The presence of a firearm in the home of an abused woman increases her risk of homicide by at least 500 percent. A survey by the National Domestic Violence Hotline found, among victims and survivors whose abusers owned firearms, 67 percent believed their abusers were capable of killing them.
In fact, 57 percent of mass shootings are related to family violence. It's long past time to close the loopholes allowing violent abusers access to guns.
By failing to pass this legislation, Congress is complicit in the murders of almost two women by their abusers every single day and the ongoing abuse of countless others.
Let your legislators know how you feel about this issue when they return to their districts. And, if you are living with abuse, you are not alone. If you are living with abuse, and there is a gun in your home, you are at increased risk.
Please call our free and confidential hotline for help at 888-438-8700.
CarlLa Horton
Hope's Door's Executive Director
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