issue: Stopping Violence Against Women

NOTE: Again, a crazed, lone gunman is responsible for a mass shooting. The tragedy occurred on Oct. 1 at Umpquah Community College in Roseburg, Ore. when a student, Chris Harper-Mercer, opened fire, shooting and killing nine people and injuring nine others. Harper-Mercer, who is reported to have suffered from mental health issues, owned 14 guns. This tragedy was the 294th mass shooting – where four or more people are killed or injured by gunfire – thus far in 2015. A significant proportion of those shot or injured in mass shootings are victims of a domestic violence/family violence incident. The toll for women murdered by men usually with a gun in 2013 was more than 1,600, according to new study by the Violence Policy Center.

Our children are not safe because there is a culture of silence surrounding the issue of sexual violence in the United States. No one wants to believe that sexual violence could happen to our children, but the reality is that this is occurring at a rate of epidemic proportions. According to the CDC Foundation, domestic violence and violence against women and children is a global epidemic.