Baton Rouge, LA – The Washington, D.C. based Violence Policy Center has issued its annual report on female murder victims, and it shows a troubling trend in Louisiana. The report, When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of Homicide Data, reviews female victims killed by male offenders in single victim/single offender incidents and ranks all states from highest rates to lowest. The 2018 report, which analyzed homicides committed in 2016, was released this week.
Louisiana ranks 2nd in the nation, up from 3rd the year before. The report also reveals that Louisiana’s rate of women murdered by men has increased steadily for the past five consecutive years, with the most recent rate being 2.42 homicides per 100,000 females.
Of the women killed by men in Louisiana in 2016, 69% were killed with firearms. Advocates are hopeful that recently enacted legislation requiring the transfer of firearms from convicted abusers and those with qualifying protection orders will have an impact on these numbers. Senate Bill 231 of the 2018 regular legislative session requires sheriffs to oversee a process of transferring firearms from those legally unable to possess them.

For the full press release click VPC 2018 Press Release