Hi John,

“A pandemic within a pandemic.” That is how Senior Deputy Prosecutor David Martin described the current spike in domestic violence cases in King County, Washington. Globally, domestic violence incidents are believed to have risen at least 20 percent since the start of the pandemic.

There have already been more than twice as many domestic violence homicides in King County this year as in all of 2019. As the coronavirus crisis wears on, survivors of domestic violence are at heightened risk. Learn more about the current threat of domestic violence in this video.

David Martin is the Chair of the first-of-its-kind Regional Domestic Violence Firearms Enforcement Unit. This multidisciplinary unit was born after the passage of HB 1840 (one of the Alliance’s first legislative victories in Washington!). The unit is dedicated to keeping survivors safe by ensuring that individuals who are subject to domestic violence and other protection orders surrender their firearms if the court feels they pose a risk. In its first year of operation, the unit secured 466 firearms in King County. It has served as a model for other jurisdictions across the state and country working to better enforce firearm surrender laws.

This Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are committed to raising awareness not just of the dangers of domestic violence, but also of the solutions. Disarming domestic abusers is the single most important thing we can do to protect victims from gun violence. Learn more about the policies to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers in every state at DisarmDV.org.

As our communities continue to bear the burden of the COVID-19 crisis, targeted, evidenced-based work that keeps guns out of dangerous hands is more urgent than ever.

Dylan (he/him)

P.S. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-7233 or texting LOVEIS to 22522.