Separate abusers from guns to curb mass tragedies
The connection between domestic violence and mass shootings has reared its ugly head yet again. Nov. 5 marked another violent act, a gruesome bloodbath inside a house of worship, where men, women and children assumed they were safest. The Sutherland Springs tragedy is a stark reminder that violence happens not only behind closed doors; it often bursts forth to devastate entire communities.
Enough is enough. Americans need more than thoughts and prayers after the fact. We need guns out of the hands of abusers. What happened in Sutherland Springs is not just regrettable— it could have been prevented.
According to Everytown for Gun Safety, which has been tracking U.S. mass shootings since 2009, the perpetrator in more than half of 156 mass shootings had a connection to family or domestic violence. In at least 42 percent of those cases, the shooter exhibited warning signs in the form of abuse or violations of protective orders.
In the case of the Sutherland Springs shooter, the U.S. Air Force court-martialed and convicted him of assaulting his wife and child in 2012. Federal and Texas laws prohibit convicted abusers from owning firearms, but this abuser slipped through the cracks because the Air Force failed to enter his conviction in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Records show he was able to purchase four guns in 2014 because of the error.
This sort of clerical failure is the tip of the iceberg. While the law may be crystal clear that convicted abusers can’t possess guns, what’s unclear is whom akes sure that happens. Local courts can tell abusers about this provision— and studies show they often don’t— but who is checking to see if guns are being taken away or where those guns are going?
It’s time we demand common sense solutions. The enforcement of gun surrender laws already in place can and will save lives. In the small community outside San Antonio earlier this month, 26 men, women and children lost their lives so senselessly. Our lawmakers, along with our courts and law enforcement, must jointly take action to prevent more of these tragedies.
We insist on stringent gun-surrender policies and enforcement. In Dallas, convicted perpetrators turn their guns over to a friend or relative. It’s time for that to happen in Houston. This would be a good start.
Finally, let’s not treat mass shootings as a mental health issue. We know that most mass shooters aren’t lone wolves, but abusers. Treat this as what it is: a domestic violence problem made worse by abusers’ access to firearms.
The Texas Council on Family Violence reports 1 in 3 Texans will experience domestic violence in their lifetime, meaning many of us already have been affected by domestic violence or know someone who has. Community silence around intimate partner violence allows abusers to escape accountability. It’s time we all speak out.
We at the Houston Area Women’s Center grieve with the families in Sutherland Springs, whose lives have been shattered by horrific gun violence. And we stand in unison with those in our community committed to keeping guns out of the hands of perpetrators.
In 2016, 146 women in Texas were killed by an intimate partner. In nearly half of those cases, the victims had left the abuser or were in the process of leaving when they weremurdered. In nearly two-thirds of those incidents, their death came by gunfire.
Far too often, our clients at HAWC seeking help in situations of domestic violence tell us about guns in their home. We give them information about how to stay safe and ask questions: Do you know where the gun is? Is it registered? Has the abuser threatened you with the gun? Can you get it out of the home safely and secretly? Clients find these questions unnerving. For many, they spark the shocking realization of the lethal power of the gun if it were to be used against them and their children.
What if no firearm were accessible? With every incident in which we refuse to acknowledge the warning signs and fail to implement stronger, enforceable policies against known abusers possessing guns, we allow violence to prevail. With mass shootings a recurring reality, we increasingly put ourselves at risk when we look the other way. If we don’t enact and then strictly enforce gun surrender laws, then we all stand in grave danger.