Guns & Domestic Violence: A Lethal Connection

If today is a typical day, domestic violence hotlines nationwide will answer more than 20,000 desperate phone calls asking for help.

That harrowing statistic comes from the National Coalition Against Gun Violence and its research into the role firearms play in intimate partner incidents. Studies show the presence of a gun in domestic violence situations increases the risk of homicide by 500%.

With October designated as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, learn more at our September 18 program from local experts involved in helping victims of domestic abuse. You’ll hear from Jane Brown, retired Clay County judge; Annie Struby, Executive Director of Rose Brooks Center and member of the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, and Ellen Greenberg-Jacobs, Domestic Violence Prosecutor, City of Independence, MO. Our speakers have previously collaborated on domestic violence cases and will share insights from their complementary perspectives.

Currently, Missouri and Kansas legislators have taken distinctly different stances on firearms and domestic violence. Kansas prohibits possession of firearms by persons convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence within the preceding five years. Missouri allows similarly convicted persons to buy or possess firearms or ammunition, including even persons subject to domestic violence orders of protection.

Join us next Monday to better understand the complex interaction of firearms in domestic violence and area efforts to mitigate its life-altering effects.