Why more guns won’t make us safer

People may think firearms will protect them, says Sean Faircloth, but statistics show otherwise.

IN HIS ARTICLE on gun control in the last issue of The Week, author Sam Harris argued that firearms serve as a great equalizer, enabling good men and women to defend themselves against stronger and more aggressive attackers. I respect Sam, but he failed to address the two most important pieces of evidence related to this issue: how frequently guns are used in domestic violence against women; and the data confirming the success of gun control in other countries.

It will come as no surprise to most people that men commit homicide 10 times as often as women. Their victims are often women. Two thirds of women killed by spouses are killed with guns. Firearm assaults on female family members and intimate acquaintances are approximately 12 times more likely to result in death than are assaults using other weapons. This is not some minor secondary issue. It is the heart of the matter—a form of chronic and pervasive domestic terrorism. It is impossible to claim to address gun violence in America while failing to address domestic violence against women.

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