John,

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about the impact of domestic violence and the tools available to keep survivors safe. And here in Washington, we have a promising story to tell on the subject–something we don’t do often enough.

First, it’s important to note that domestic violence is one of the biggest drivers of gun violence: A woman is shot and killed by a spouse or intimate partner in the United States every 14 hours. And far too often, people with a history of intimate partner violence go on to fatally shoot other family members, friends, community members, or responding officers.

The pandemic heightened the risks of domestic violence and gun violence. And over the last two years, homicides spiked nationally and in Washington state. But this is where the good news comes in: Here in Washington, domestic violence homicides fell in 2021, a heartening change attributable at least in part to significant updates made to both strengthen and improve the state’s protection order system.

Of course, this is only one data point about one period of time and domestic violence is a complex and multi-faceted crisis. And every domestic violence-related death is a preventable tragedy. Additionally, we know that the impact of pandemic-induced social isolation, financial hardship, and a sense of uncertainty will be felt for years to come. Our work is far from finished.

But this is a reminder of why we do what we do. We have fought for years to pass and implement policies that remove firearms from people with a history of domestic abuse. And we have worked to make those laws and processes more accessible for the people who need it most. We’ve kept fighting because we know that this work saves lives.

Now, thanks to our work–and the work of so many others–Washington has the strongest domestic violence protections in the nation. Learn more about the intersection of domestic violence and firearms: [link removed]

And if you or someone you know needs help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 or text LOVEIS to 22522.

Kristen (she/her)

P.S. If you’d like to support more work like this and help us save lives, you can make a contribution here: [link removed]

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ALLIANCE FOR GUN RESPONSIBILITY
P.O. Box 4187
Seattle, WA 98194

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