"If I can't have you....."
The act of murder-suicide is not limited to married couples of course, but it is an all too familiar headline in local papers across America as killers take the most extreme method in ending a relationship. According to an article in the Journal of American Academy of Psychiatry, men are the killers of their wives, girlfriends, or exes in about 90 percent of the cases.
Those so-called men, used a firearm in 92 percent of these crimes, and 54 percent had a history of domestic violence. Only 25 percent had a criminal history.
Although there appears to be no national database to document murder-suicide events, according to a study gleaned from local news sources across the country by the Violence Policy Center (VPC) in 2007, as many as 10 murder/suicides occur each week in the United States.
Access to a firearm appears to be a major factor in murder-suicide according to a report by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). Based on 591 cases, 92 percent were committed with a gun. The study also reports that
"States with less restrictive gun control laws have as much as eight times the rate of murder-suicides as those with the most restrictive gun control laws.
Compared to Canada, the United States has three times more familicide; compared to Britain, eight times more; and compared to Australia, 15 times more."
Aside from cases by elderly members of society that are usually attributed to health or economic issues, studies indicate that
"The data are clear: More incidents of murder-suicide occur with guns than with any other weapon. Access to a gun is a major risk factor in familicide because it allows the perpetrator to act on his or her rage and impulses. (NIJ)
So, here we are in the year 2014, and anger seems to be the new American way of life. Jobs are lost, homes repossessed, political discourse is rabid, and there are more guns than ever. The gun industry wants guns in schools, parks, churches, bars, and unfortunately for victims of domestic violence, in the home. In other words, in the hands of an increasingly stressed population. What could possibly go wrong with that?
Here's what...
Homes with guns have a 3-fold increased homicide risk as compared to homes without guns.
This risk increases to 8-fold when the perpetrator is an intimate partner or relative of the victim.
When previous domestic violence exists, the risk of homicide is 20 times higher.
American Journal of Public Health
What to do?
Well, United States v. Castleman, a recent case in the U.S. Supreme Court is encouraging.
In a 9-0 decision on March 26, the Supreme Court upheld current federal law banning anyone found guilty of domestic violence from possessing a gun. The decision furthermore served to strengthen existing law, by overturning previous district court rulings interpreting the law as applying only to those convicted of “violent use of force” and stating that the ban extended to anyone who had pled guilty to even a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence.
However, far too many cases are plea bargained down to simple assault cases, which allows the abuser to keep his firearms. Unfortunately, the court ruling carries little weight with someone intent on killing his partner and committing suicide, but it does limit access to a weapon by a previously convicted perpetrator.
Local judges need to refuse any plea bargain in cases of domestic violence. Prosecutors need to push for maximum sentences. Anger management classes in jails and prisons should not be grounds for early release. Finally, all firearms owned by the abuser should be confiscated, and a notation made in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System to prevent further purchases. Those, including family members, who try to circumvent the law by giving or purchasing a firearm for the abuser should be arrested as an accessory to any crime committed with the weapon and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.