Hi John,

As COVID-19 upends our daily lives, victims of domestic violence are at a heightened risk of gun violence. The guidance designed to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus—stay home as much as possible and limit contact with people outside your household—paired with financial pressures and uncertainty is a perfect storm for intimate partner violence.

All this comes as people across the country are panic-buying firearms and ammunition, which means it is more important than ever that we keep fighting to prevent gun violence by disarming domestic abusers. Can you help support this lifesaving work?

We know that domestic violence and firearms are a deadly combination. Research shows that the presence of a gun increases the risk of domestic violence homicide by 400 percent.

Already we’ve seen devastating reports of domestic violence deaths related to coronavirus. On March 30th, a Pennsylvania man who had recently lost his job and become despondent over the pandemic shot his longtime girlfriend and himself. On April 4th, an Illinois man, who reportedly thought he had COVID-19, shot and killed a woman and then himself.

We cannot stop fighting to protect survivors of domestic violence, especially in these uncertain times. Please, if you are able, give $5 today to help us save lives from preventable gun violence.

Stay safe,
Kristen Ellingboe

PS - I'll be speaking to the complexities of gun violence tomorrow as part of a panel discussion with theatre group Mirror Stage. Learn more and RSVP for the free event at 3 pm ET/noon PT here.