For Immediate Release: August 12, 2015

Domestic Violence Coalition Advocates Caution in Wake of Latest Homicide

Baton Rouge, Louisiana – The statewide domestic violence coalition is expressing concern over comments made in the wake of a domestic homicide this week. Monica Johnson of Geismar, Lousiana, was murdered by her estranged husband on Sunday. In response, some community members have advocated that battered women should get guns to protect themselves from their abusers.

“We believe that victims of domestic violence should have the right to firearms for protection if they so choose. And we know some women say they feel safer with a firearm. We just want to make sure people understand that owning a firearm does not guarantee safety, and in cases of domestic violence it actually increases risk significantly.” said Beth Meeks, Executive Director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

According to research by Mayors Against Illegal Guns the presence of a firearm in a domestic violence situation increased the risk of homicide by 500% for women. And a study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that over 70% of battered women had been threatened with a gun, while only 7% had used a gun successfully in self-defense.

Telling battered women to kill their abusers can have unintended consequences. Rarely does a self-defense claim work for these women, and as many as 90% of the women in prison today for killing men had been battered by those men. Additionally, when women are sentenced, on average, they receive more than twice the sentence men receive when they kill their partners.

“Beyond the statistics we must realize that even when it is necessary, taking another life creates deep emotional trauma that has long lasting effects.” Meeks said. “Our goal here should be to reduce all homicides, not merely exchange victims.”

Meeks says many communities across the nation have made dramatic reductions in their domestic homicide rates through practices such as expedited dockets, risk assessment, high risk management teams, and intensive monitoring of offenders. “If we are as committed to stopping domestic violence as we say we are, then we simply must retool our interventions to mirror what we know works.”

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The Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (LCADV) is a state wide network of battered women’s programs, other organizations and individuals who share the goal of ending violence against women and children in Louisiana. LCADV empowers its members through advocacy, education, resource development and technical assistance.