October 21, 2024

Dear Friends,

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month—a time to reflect on the devastating impact of domestic violence in our communities and take action to protect those most at risk. One of the starkest realities we face in Texas is that firearms are the primary weapon used in domestic violence homicides. Many of these tragedies could be prevented if stronger enforcement of firearm prohibition laws and expanded background checks were in place.

In 2023, more domestic violence victims in Texas were killed with a firearm than all other means combined. Shockingly, at least 20 of these perpetrators were prohibited from owning firearms, yet still gained access. When an abuser has access to a gun, the risk of homicide increases by five times. Despite this, many Texas counties still lack the necessary protocols to enforce firearm removal from prohibited possessors.

Even more troubling, 95% of domestic violence murder-suicides involve firearms—often committed by individuals who never should have had access to a gun in the first place.

We urgently need your help to change this.

It’s time to close the dangerous loopholes in our gun laws that allow abusers to obtain firearms through private transfers without a background check. We must also push for better enforcement of existing firearm prohibition laws to ensure that abusers cannot easily access firearms.