Most cases of domestic violence are unreported. On average, a woman is assaulted thirty times before a formal complaint is filed.
Firearms increase the chance of assault escalating into murder.
Guns are frequently part of the cycle of intimidation and violence that many victims face in their homes, for every woman who loses her life to the hand of a troubled spouse with a firearm, there are thousands more who are threatened or live in fear. Studies show that efforts aimed specifically at arming women in the U.S. have not made them safer. Dr. James Scott of George Washington University Hospital reported that more of the guns bought by women for their protection are being turned against them. A resolution from the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Commission explicitly recognized the problem of guns in domestic violence. At a recent meeting of the commission in Vienna, the International Alliance of Women confirmed that the use of firearms in violence against women is a global problem.