FRESNO, Calif. (KGPE/KSEE) – On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will look at whether people under a domestic violence restraining order should be allowed to have a gun.
State Attorney General Rob Bonta released his office’s findings about how domestic violence and gun violence are linked.
According to the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, a woman who is being abused by a male partner that owns a gun, is five times more likely to be killed by their abusive partner.
Some local organizations in Fresno, however, feel education is key to countering domestic abuse.
“The violence in a relationship can go from zero to 100 quickly,” said Nicole Linder. She is the CEO of the Marjaree Mason Center.
She has seen women in abusive relationships become victims of gun violence in the Central Valley.
“They’re not worth a trip to the emergency room, they’re not worth somebody getting arrested, they’re not worth ultimately somebody losing their life,” said Linder. “They’re not worth it.”
“When an abuser has access to a firearm, the risk of safety to those around them,” said Rob Bonta. “It goes up.”
Attorney General Rob Bonta held a press conference Monday morning in Sacramento, releasing data that shows the dangers women face in abusive relationships.
“The data is clear that people who commit domestic violence and abuse, they simply should not have firearms,” he said.
According to the Department of Justice, 4.5 million women in total have been threatened by a partner with a gun. Nearly a million have been shot, shot at, or threatened with a gun in their partner’s possession.
“When a woman is abused by a male partner who has access to firearms, she is five times more likely to be killed by her abusive partner,” said Rocci Jackson, a Gun Violence Restraining Order Community Analyst.
These statistics are what Bonta wants the Supreme Court justices to heed.
“This isn’t a theory of what might be. It isn’t a prediction of what is possible. It is a retroactive observation. Domestic violence restraining orders save lives, and California’s data shows it,” he said.
But organization leaders like Linder, ultimately want the root issues of domestic violence to be addressed head on.
“Educating ourselves to what behaviors are harmful and which ones are acceptable and normal part of communication,” she said.
Linder added that domestic violence does spike around the holidays, whether it’s arguing over money or where to spend family time.
She says if you have been abused, to contact the Marjaree Mason Center.
