NRA Member Who Lost Sister To Gun Violence Tearfully Asks Senate To Protect Women

Huffington Post

Domestic Violence, Women and Guns

Huffington Post

The statistics are horrifyingly real. From 2001 to 2012, the number of women murdered by intimate partners using guns (6,410) exceeded the number of U.S. troops killed in action in the Iraq and Afghan wars combined. Every day in our country, five women are murdered by gunfire. Even the most ardent gun-rights advocates should be appalled by this home grown carnage involving women. As far as intimacy and violence are concerned, our guns are not securing us. They are killing us at home and in our neighborhoods.

In its recent study, "Women Under the Gun," The Center for American Progress sets out the facts explaining how anemic gun laws at both the federal and state levels are allowing women to be killed. First, violence against women is generally a crime of intimacy. In 65 percent of cases, women knew their attackers. Men knew their assailants only 34 percent of the time.

Second, according to the study, a staggering proportion of violence against women is fatal, and guns are a key factor in those deaths. As the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence recognizes, if an abuser owns a firearm, an abused woman is five times more likely to be killed. (Domestic Violence & Firearm Policy Summary at smartgunlaws.org.)

Put simply, the presence of guns dramatically increases the probability of death in incidents involving domestic violence. In 2011 almost two-thirds of women killed with guns were killed by their intimate partners.

Gun Advertising in Tennessee

Shall Not Be Infringed (written by Bitter, the female co-blogger)

I find it funny that you can’t drive 10 miles in the Nashville area without passing a billboard for some kind of gun shop or seeing a gun shop from the road.

Even if many of them are very simple with their graphics and their messages, it’s entertaining. It certainly reflects that the gun culture is healthy even in an urban area.

However, there’s one that drives me up the wall in all of the years I’ve been driving through from the East Coast to Nashville area. It’s Outdoor Junction at exit 290 off I-40. In all of the years they have been advertising on billboards along I-40, they have only catered to men. They bill themselves as a place to buy “Men’s Toys” with a picture of a handgun. It would be one thing if, somewhere in their advertising corridor, they included a billboard catering to women. They don’t. They have multiple billboards to promote how they appear to only sell things to men. I can tell you right now that I would never be willing to walk in because their advertising sends a message that they simply don’t even acknowledge women as customers shopping for themselves as opposed to shopping for their men.

What's funny is when a female gun nut pretends that she's surprised at this. I suppose she's really unaware that gun ownership, gun rights, gun nuttiness and all other things about guns are largely dominated by and geared towards the men folk.

Here's one indication, if the outdoor advertising in Nashville is not sufficient.  The Truth About Guns, which is the undisputed leader in on-line gun fanaticism conducted a reader survey last year. The results were anything but surprising.

Henderson Nevada Gun Negligence - Woman Dead - Man Arrested

FOX5 Vegas - KVVU

Fifty Women a Month Die by Guns in Domestic Violence Incidents

Huffington Post

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but most people are in fact unaware. One reason is that Republicans in congress frittered away most of the month by closing the government and creating a manufactured crisis over the debt ceiling.

But the statistics on domestic violence and guns ought to get our attention. If October is like every other month, nearly 50 women in the U.S. will be murdered with a gun by an intimate partner — overwhelmingly a husband or boyfriend. We’ve had so many mass shootings in places like Tucson, Aurora, Newtown, and the Navy Yard that it would be easy to conclude gun violence knows no gender. But that’s not quite true.

Women are over three-and-a-half times more likely than men to be killed by an intimate partner. And a gun in a household with a history of domestic violence increases that risk by twenty fold. Stalkers also use guns to harm their victims — and you guessed it — more than 75 percent of those victims are female.

A few common sense changes in the law would make women safer. For starters, we need to close the loopholes on background checks for gun ownership. Right now, if you want a gun without submitting to a background check, just pick one up at a gun show or online. No problem — no questions asked.

True, it’s against the law for people convicted of domestic violence or subject to restraining orders to buy a gun. But even that paltry prohibition doesn’t cover dating partners — federal law only protects women victimized by spouses or co-parents. And if someone already owns a gun when convicted, they don’t necessarily have to surrender it. A lot of the time they get to keep it to use another day.

Stalkers are usually home free too, even if convicted. Only seven states bar them from buying or owning guns. There’s no federal ban at all, despite the often increasingly violent nature of their behavior.

NRA Women

Just like the Colion Noir videos, this is more of the NRA's desperate attempt to combat the stereotype that says gun owners are mainly fat white men. As I mentioned the other day when we were discussing it, gun-rights is a man's world.  The minor increases in the numbers of women has not changed that.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Maryland Accidental Shooting During a Domestic Dispute

Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius Charged with Murder

Domestic Double Murder in North Carolina

Local news reports

The Robeson County Sheriff's Office is investigating a shooting Wednesday that left two people dead and two others injured, Sheriff Kenneth Sealey said.

Sealey said an unidentified woman called 911 at 5:30 p.m. and said her husband was threatening to shoot her. A few minutes later, the same woman called back and said shots had been fired, Sealey said.

When deputies arrived at the home, at 12156 N.C. 211 about two miles east of Red Springs, they found two women dead from gunshot wounds.

Two men also were injured, he said. One was taken to Southeastern Regional Medical Center in Lumberton. He was expected to be taken to Chapel Hill for treatment of his injuries, Sealey said. Information about the men's injuries was not available.

The shooting remains under investigation but appears to be a domestic incident, Sealey said.

Let me guess, another lawful gun owner who just got fed up.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

About Gayle Trotter's Testimony - It was Complete Nonsense

The New York Times

But there is a more fundamental problem with the idea that guns actually protect the hearth and home. Guns rarely get used that way. In the 1990s, a team headed by Arthur Kellermann of Emory University looked at all injuries involving guns kept in the home in Memphis, Seattle and Galveston, Tex. They found that these weapons were fired far more often in accidents, criminal assaults, homicides or suicide attempts than in self-defense. For every instance in which a gun in the home was shot in self-defense, there were seven criminal assaults or homicides, four accidental shootings, and 11 attempted or successful suicides. 

The cost-benefit balance of having a gun in the home is especially negative for women, according to a 2011 review by David Hemenway, director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center. Far from making women safer, a gun in the home is “a particularly strong risk factor” for female homicides and the intimidation of women. 

In domestic violence situations, the risk of homicide for women increased eightfold when the abuser had access to firearms, according to a study published in The American Journal of Public Health in 2003. Further, there was “no clear evidence” that victims’ access to a gun reduced their risk of being killed. Another 2003 study, by Douglas Wiebe of the University of Pennsylvania, found that females living with a gun in the home were 2.7 times more likely to be murdered than females with no gun at home. Regulating guns, on the other hand, can reduce that risk.

An analysis by Mayors Against Illegal Guns found that in states that required a background check for every handgun sale, women were killed by intimate partners at a much lower rate. Senator Patrick Leahy, the Judiciary Committee chairman, has used this fact to press the case for universal background checks, to make sure that domestic abusers legally prohibited from having guns cannot get them.

We've been saying it for a long time around here. Guns are bad news for women.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Female Police Officer Shot and Killed by her Abusive Husband

The Daily News reports

Ben Gabriel Sebena, of Menomonee Falls, made his initial appearance Thursday. A Milwaukee County court commissioner imposed bail and set a preliminary hearing for next week.

A criminal complaint says 30-year-old Jennifer Sebena was found lying on the pavement outside the fire department. She'd been shot five times in the head.

The complaint says Jennifer Sebena told a colleague about three weeks earlier that her husband had put a gun to her head. The complaint also quotes Ben Sebena as telling investigators he'd been jealous of other men with regard to his wife.

Guns are bad news for women, that's my take on it. The story also illustrates the lunacy of the pro-gun argument that we need to arm more people so they can defend themselves.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Alabama Man Shoots Pregnant Wife, Commits Suicide - She and the Baby Survived

Local news reports

Authorities say a north Alabama woman has given birth after being shot during a Thanksgiving dinner gathering.

Marshall County District Attorney Steve Marshall says the woman gave birth by Caesarean section, and mother and child are doing OK.

Marshall tells al.com that the man suspected in the shooting, the woman's estranged husband, died on Saturday.

Albertville police say the man shot his wife more than once during a Thanksgiving dinner gathering and then turned the gun on himself. The woman was eight months pregnant at the time.

Police say the man had been invited over for the holiday.

Alabama was one of the "high-gun states" used to prove the famous "Guns are Bad News for Women." In this case the joke's on the pathetically unfit gun owner, who like so many used his gun to settle scores and get even.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Asheville Man Shoots Girfriend, Attempts Suicide, Gets Arrested

Local news reports

 

A city man who police say shot his longtime girlfriend had been charged with assaulting her at least twice before and was wanted by police at the time of the attack.

Regina Michelle Robinson, 31, was in critical condition Thursday at Mission Hospital after the attack at the Greyhound bus station on Tunnel Road. Police said Patrick Earl Holliday, 32, chased her onto a bus about 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, shot her and later shot at a taxi cab driver who followed him.

Officers cornered and captured Holliday behind Innsbruck Mall after he pointed a gun at Asheville police Lt. Wally Welch and another officer, police said. After being surrounded by officers, Holliday put the .22-caliber revolver to his head and pulled the trigger several times, but the weapon had jammed, police said. He then pointed the gun at the officers.

This is the kind of restraint and responsible gun handling we need to see more of. Some of our trigger-happy castle-doctrine adherents need to take a lesson from these Asheville cops.

It's just too bad a guy like this was able to get a gun. His longtime girlfriend joins the ranks.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Lawful Gun Owner in San Antonio Shoots Up the Girlfriend's Car

Local news reports

The shooting was over an apparent break-up, and the suspect was taken to SAPD headquarters for questioning before possible charges are filed.

The woman had come to the man's place to collect her personal items, and something happened during that time to cause an argument. She went outside and he followed her, taking aim at her car and opening fire, police said.

The shots shattered glass and also hit the side of the vehicle, police said. The woman suffered minor injuries from the broken glass.

Police said they found a shotgun and a handgun underneath the home where the suspect was holed up.

"POSSIBLE charges?" Are they kidding?

Murder - Suicide in Connecticut

Boston.com reports

The fatal shootings of a man and woman in Simsbury are being treated as a murder-suicide.

Police say they responded to the Meadows apartment complex on Route 10 just before 8:30 p.m. Wednesday after a woman called authorities to say her boyfriend was pointing a gun at her and threatening to kill her and himself. 

A dispatcher then heard gunshots over the phone.

Officers found the woman and man dead and a toddler who wasn’t injured.

Every single day we read about people misusing guns who shouldn't have them in the first place.  Often it's men abusing women. The pro-gun crowd would love us to accept that there's no way to prevent this from happening, but that's just not the case.

Many of these people have had incidents in their lives which, if strict qualifications for gun ownership had been in effect, would have disqualified them.  Gun-rights people don't want that.

My ideas would remove guns from dangerous people at the first indication that they're dangerous, not after they end up killing someone. This maintenance combined with proper gun control laws would lead to a safer society.

Why would anyone oppose that? Everyone would benefit, even the irresponsible ones.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting Death of California Woman - Irresponsible Gun Owner Arrested

Local news reports

A 34-year-old homeowner in Riverside County has been arrested after a gun he was cleaning fired and killed a woman.

The Riverside Police Department said Saturday that Shane Dansie was booked Friday on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment.

Police have not yet released the victim's identity or relationship to Dansie. 

Police say Dansie was cleaning his handgun shortly before 6 p.m. when he accidentally discharged a round that struck the woman.

It's good when the person responsible is held accountable, but why is it so inconsistent? Why are some of these negligent idiots given a slap on the wrist, or less, some are given advice to be more careful, and others go to jail?

Guns are bad news for women is an idea that usually applies to domestic violence.  But, as we see in the news every day, it also works for negligent discharges of firearms.

Do you think some of these incidents are not really accidents at all?  I don't mean the difference between accident and negligence, I mean the difference between murder and manslaughter.  Do you think, just like some DGUs, some of these so-called accidents are really murder disguised?

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of Idaho Woman by her Negligent Husband - No Charges

SF Gate reports

The Canyon County Sheriff's Office says it's investigating a reported accidental shooting that left a 51-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to the head.

Authorities say police and emergency medical responders were called just after 8:15 p.m. Friday to a Middleton residence.

Police say they were told a 56-year-old man was reloading a .380 caliber handgun after showing it to his nephew when it discharged, injuring the man's wife.

This story touches upon two of our favorite themes. Guns are bad news for women and one strike you're out.

The only problem is in Idaho, neither of those ideas count for much.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Domestic Attempted Murder in Akron Ohio Hospital

UPI.com reports

An Ohio man was in custody in Akron Sunday after allegedly shooting his wife of 45 years as a doctor was tending to her in intensive care, police said.

John Wise, 66, was charged with attempted aggravated murder after the 9 p.m. Saturday incident, WEWS-TV, Cleveland, reported.

Police said a doctor was attending to the woman when a man with a gun came into the room and fired once. A security guard then wrestled the gun away from the man and held him until police arrived.

They think it was a case of domestic murder. In other words, guns are bad news for women, once again.

What do you think?

Buffalo Surgeon and War Veteran Kills Girlfriend

ABC News reports

 

Domestic abusers who own guns come in all shapes and sized. The one common thread is guns are bad news for women.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Murder - Suicide in Indiana

Indy Star reports on the latest "guns are bad news for women" story.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is investigating a Westside shooting where they believe a man shot a woman before killing himself.

Police received a call about the incident around 12:20 a.m. They found Jonathan Ogden, 43, and Veronica Bailey, 40, both of Indianapolis, in the front yard with gunshot wounds.

The two, who were not married but had been living together for more than 20 years, died at the home.

Police believe that Ogden shot Bailey and then himself after the two had a fight.

Ogden was arrested before — on May 25 — on suspicion of domestic battery.

"Arrested" not convicted, which means of course he probably still owned his guns legally and had a concealed carry permit in his wallet. It's true there's nothing about that in the story, but it's also true that just about any idiot can get one of those in Indiana.  And once you get one, it's nearly impossible to lose the thing.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.