Nearly three times as many domestic violence homicide victims have been murdered by guns in the last 10 years in Iowa than by any other cause, showed the report. But even though nine of the 14 domestic violence victims killed to date in 2005 were murdered with guns, the article failed to mention any word of guns or the increased risk that they pose to families living with them.

Between 1995 and Sept 28, 2005:

• 83 women, men, and children were shot to death
• 29 women, men, and children were beaten, strangled, or drowned to death
• 17 women and men were stabbed to death
• 3 persons were given an overdose of medication
• 3 victims were burned to death
• 2 persons were killed in car crashes
• 1 person died from injury while stopping a domestic abuse crime

A gun in the home can mean the difference between domestic violence and a domestic homicide. A study in Atlanta showed that gun-associated family and intimate assaults were 12 times more likely to result in death than family and intimate assaults not involving guns.

Women in particular must consider the risk of living with guns. One analysis found that a woman with a gun in her home is 7.2 times more likely to be a victim of domestic violence homicide, and if there is a history of domestic abuse, she is 14.2 times more likely to be the victim of a domestic violence homicide.

Between 20,000 and 44,000 Iowa women are victims of domestic violence each year, according to the Attorney General’s office. In the past ten years, 138 Iowans have been killed in domestic abuse murders. These homicide victims are survived by 149 children, 45 of whom were present at the scene of the murder. These victims need and deserve to know the deadly truth about guns and domestic violence.

The problem also deserves some legislative action. During the 2005 Iowa legislative session, bills were introduced in both the House and the Senate that would have increased the authority of state and local law enforcement to remove guns from the homes of domestic abusers. The legislation would have prohibited the possession of firearms by anyone who is subject to a court restraining order for domestic abuse or has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Although the bill was proposed by the state Attorney General’s office, neither bill was brought up in committee. Nineteen other states have passed similar legislation. IPGV is committed to reviving this legislation again in the upcoming 2006 session.