Up to 65% of deaths as the result of domestic violence are a result of the use of guns by intimate partners (Violence Policy Center).

More than 200 million guns are in civilian hands and 40% of guns are sold without background checks (National Institute of Justice, 1997).

For every time a gun is used in a home in a legally justifiable shooting, there are 22 criminal, unintentional, and suicide-related shootings (Brady Campaign).

Firearms are the second leading cause of death for children under 19 (after motor vehicle accidents) in the United States (Susan DeFrancesco, Children and Guns).

It is estimated that gun violence costs the United States more than 100 billion dollars annually in medical costs, lost productivity, mental health care, and emergency transportation (Cook, 2000).

A 1997 Study that examined the risk factors for violent death for women in the home found that when there wree one or more guns in the home, the risk of suicide among women increased nearly 5x and the risk of homicide increase more than 3x. The increased risk of homicide associated with firearms was attributable to homicides at the hands of a spouse, intimate acquaintance, or close relative. (Violence Policy Center)

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