130: What We Don't Know About Domestic Violence (and Guns) is Deadly

Image provided by Gerhard Litz via Pixabay

In the US, 1 in 5 women report experiencing severe physical violence from an intimate partner during their lifetime. Terrifyingly, when guns are introduced into that terrorism, the risk of serious death and injury only increases with the American Journal of Public Health reporting that in domestic violence situations the risk of death is five times greater when a gun is present.

Kate Ranta, author of Killing Kate: A Story of Turning Abuse and Tragedy into Transformation and Triumph and gun violence prevention advocate, was one of those women. Thankfully, Ranta survived the violent shooting inflicted against her by her ex-husband, but many women do not--56% of women murdered by an intimate partner from 2010 to 2019 were killed with a firearm. To discuss what we don't know about domestic violence, how this violence continues to occur, and the role guns play in continuing to make individuals vulnerable, hosts Kelly and JJ are joined by Kate and by American journalist, writer, and professor Rachel Louise Snyder. Snyder's eye-opening book, No Visible Bruises: What We Don't Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us, is an absolutely essential read for those who want to address private violence.

If you or someone you know may be at risk, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or by text at the same number by texting the word "START." There are also advocates available online 24/7 at thehotline.org.

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