Gun Violence and Domestic Abuse
It is no shock that America has a gun violence problem that is growing more prevalent as each day passes. The Brady Campaign is taking initiative to take a stand against gun violence and is pressing to create stricter policies on gun laws. The campaign has reported that most women murdered with a gun is from an intimate partner or family member. This has to change! How can we let our loved ones be murdered day after day because of a lack in something as simple as background checks? Those states that do require a background check show lower rates of women being murdered by intimate partners. This is why the Brady Campaign is pushing for change, to better protect our neighbors, sisters, children, wives and loved ones. Gun violence is also harming more and more youth. More than one in five U.S. teenagers (ages 14 to 17) report having witnessed a shooting and an average of eight children and teens under the age of 20 are killed by guns every day On
average, 32 Americans are murdered with guns every day and 140 are treated for a gun assault in an emergency room. Every day on average, 51 people kill themselves with a firearm, and 45 people are shot or killed in an accident with a gun. In comparison to other countries, the United States firearm homicide rate is 20 times higher than the combined rates of 22 countries that are our peers in wealth and population. Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to discuss strengthening laws to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. The Brady Campaign will be there, urging the Senate to close existing loopholes, like the lack of background checks, that allow domestic abusers to easily get guns. The Brady Campaign does not suggest to take away the right to bear arms, but is pushing for stricter regulations to better protect the American people. Owning a gun is a constitutional right of every American but before purchasing a firearm a background check is necessary and will lower the rates of domestic violence leading to death. States with stricter gun policies show a lower rate of gun violence than those with lenient gun laws that don’t require gun permits and background checks.