Hi, Friend!

Being safe at home has never been more important. Unfortunately, fear— fear for our health and for our families— has motivated the panic buying of firearms, particularly by first-time gun owners.[1][2] But fear-purchasing firearms isn’t a way to safety. In fact, research shows the opposite: Bringing a gun into a home makes the home less safe, and this is particularly true in the current moment when domestic violence is increasing.[3][4][5]

→ Sign on to our letter to governors, urging them to address panic gun buying and reduce the risk of gun violence as part of their efforts to secure everyone's health and safety in the face of pandemic (scroll down to see the entire message that we’re sending to governors). *When you click, you’ll automatically sign on if we already have your information.  

In “normal” times, on average 52 women a month are shot to death by an intimate partner, with up to a million women in the United States having survived being shot or shot at in intimate partner violence.[6] Just this week, even the DOJ’s Office on Violence Against Women published a blog that says, “A recent surge in gun sales has increased already rising concerns among those of us working to protect people from domestic violence and sexual assault due to the already tense situations that may become more dangerous with a (new) firearm in the house.”[7]

In these decidedly not-normal times, social distancing is intensifying feelings of isolation and patterns of abuse among people trapped in place. Sharply rising call volumes to mental health and domestic violence hotlines indicate that we are poised for an outbreak of suicide and domestic violence injuries and deaths as a side-effect of the COVID-19 health emergency.[8] Already, before the pandemic, suicide accounted for six in 10 firearms deaths, or about 24,000 gun deaths annually— and we can’t let this tragic statistic get worse.[9] 

There are clear steps that governors can take to reduce the risk of gun injury or death during this public health emergency, which are laid out in the letter below.

Please click this link to add your signature to our letter to governors urging them to act quickly. *When you click, you’ll automatically sign on if we already have your information.

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HERE’S THE LETTER THAT YOU’RE SIGNING:

Dear Governor,

We are urging you to enact public safety measures that address the risks posed by an influx of firearms into many of our homes amid physical distancing and confinement, especially in light of the dramatic spikes in firearm and ammunition sales.[10] 

Multiple studies have found that firearms in the home significantly increase the risk of domestic violence, suicides, and unintentional shootings.[11][12][13] Research shows that domestic violence is five times more likely to escalate to murder when there is a gun in the home. Researchers have found that an accessible gun in the home more than triples the risk of suicide, with men six times more likely to die by firearm suicide than women.[14][15] One study found that more than 80% of all child firearm suicides involved a gun belonging to their family member.[16]

Therefore, we are asking that you use your emergency powers to: 

• Publicly educate everyone about the risks posed by surging gun sales and the panic-buying of firearms and ammunition, and about the importance of safe storage, at your COVID-19 press conferences.

• Issue executive orders extending the time that law enforcement has to conduct background checks.

• Temporarily close gun stores along with other closures, which must also be deemed “non-essential” during this crisis. If stores are open, ensure that they are following the strictest social-distancing guidelines in all of their operations and that they provide every purchaser with a gun safety fact sheet.

• Take action to prohibit the sale of “ghost gun” parts and kits in order to lower the risk of exponential sales of unregulated and unserialized gun parts. 

• Classify community-based counselors, social workers, and other anti-violence workers as "essential" in light of social distancing's heavy economic and social impact on Black and Brown urban neighborhoods.

During a national crisis, governments have a responsibility to do everything in their power to keep everyone healthy and safe. We hope you will take urgent action to forestall a potential spike in gun deaths and injuries, including firearm suicides, unintentional shootings, and domestic violence, at this unprecedented and stressful moment. This type of public safety response is not only proper, but necessary. 

Thank you,  

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Thank you to YOU as well for all you’re doing to protect families and communities. Here’s that link again to sign onto this letter: https://action.momsrising.org/sign/Keep_Homes_Safe_COVID19_GVP/?t=4&akid=13779%2E2840598%2EV99OXl

*Please also share the link on Twitter, Facebook, and by email with friends and family. The more signatures we have, the more power we’ll have together to advance gun safety.

Together we are the leaders our nation needs right now.

—With gratitude, Gloria, Kristin, Joy, Anita, and the entire MomsRising / MamásConPoder Team

[1] “U.S. Gun Store Owners Say Asian Customers are Buying Weapons Over Coronavirus Backlash Fears,” Newsweek, Mar. 12, 2020.

[2] “Americans Purchasing Record-Breaking Numbers of Guns Amid Coronavirus,” The Guardian, Apr. 1, 2020.

[3] “Will a Gun Keep Your Family Safe? Here’s What the Evidence Says,” The Trace, Apr. 7, 2020.

[4] “The Mental Health Effects of Coronavirus Are a “Slow-Motion Disaster,” Mother Jones, Apr. 2, 2020.

[5] “Domestic Violence Hotline Reports Surge In Coronavirus-Related Calls As Shelter-In-Place Leads To Isolation, Abuse,” Forbes, Apr. 6, 2020.

[6] “Guns and Violence Against Women: America’s Uniquely Lethal Intimate Partner Violence Problem,” Everytown, Oct. 17, 2019. 

[7] “Increased Risk of Domestic Violence Requires Proper Gun Safety.” U.S. Department of Justice, Apr. 14, 2020.

[8] "Volume of Calls to Domestic Violence and Mental Health Hotlines Rising." Google Search, Apr. 16, 2020.

[9] “What the Data Says About Gun Deaths in the U.S.,” Pew Research Center, Aug. 16, 2019. 

[10] “For Some Buyers With Virus Fears, the Priority Isn’t Toilet Paper. It’s Guns,” The New York Times, Mar. 25, 2020.

[11] “The Accessibility of Firearms and Risk for Suicide and Homicide Victimization Among Household Members: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Annals of Internal Medicine, Jan. 14, 2014.

[12] “Risk factors for femicide in abusive relationships: Results from a multisite case control study.” American Journal of Public Health, Jul., 2003. 

[13] “Firearm Availability and Unintentional Firearm Deaths.”  Accident Analysis and Prevention, Jul. 2001.

[14] “The Accessibility of Firearms and Risk for Suicide and Homicide Victimization Among Household Members: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Annals of Internal Medicine, Jan. 14, 2014.

[15] “National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) Fatal Injury Reports.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014 to 2018.

[16] “Who are the Owners of Firearms Used in Adolescent Suicides?” Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, Dec. 1, 2001.

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