NOW Supports President Obama’s Goal of Reducing Gun Violence in U.S.

The National Organization for Women applauds President Obama and Vice President Biden for taking swift action after last month’s devastating shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. We strongly support the administration’s admirable goal of reducing gun violence in the United States.

This issue is particularly relevant to women. More than three women are killed every day by an intimate partner, and access to firearms greatly increases that risk. African American women are at even greater risk, as they are three times more likely than white women to be killed by a partner or family member.

All of the available findings on the correlation between violence against women and the ready availability of firearms in the U.S. point to the fact that guns are used to take women’s lives, not to save them. Based on this research, the NOW Foundation submitted a report to the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2010 arguing for stricter regulation of gun ownership.

NOW is pleased to see the leaders of this country taking on this important issue in the face of a well-funded opposition. We stand behind their effort and look forward to positive results.

Read NOW Foundation’s report

###

Contact: Caitlin Gullickson, media[at]now.org, 202-628-8669 ext 123