Thread by @amybett

Springfield has the highest Domestic Violence rate in Missouri. Nationally Missouri is second only to Alaska for its per-capita rate of men killing women. Why?
* 25% Poverty Rate
* Rigid Gender Roles
* Easy access to Firearms
@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg
bit.ly/32MtR6i

"Firearm homicides & suicides increased dramatically across (Missouri) From 2008 to 2017, gun homicides rose 57%...suicides increased 59%."
"Over 1/2 of Mass Shooters in the US are also Domestic Violence Perpetrators"
-@EFSGV
@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg
bit.ly/3pqyNHP

"Missouri laws allow domestic abusers to keep their firearms and tie the hands of law enforcement who might take them away, even temporarily."
"MO has NOT mirrored Stronger Federal Laws"
@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg
bit.ly/35D6A8V

"Survivors, advocates & law enforcement (in Springfield MO) say guns are a major driver of domestic violence."
"Guns make abuse more deadly, how abusers terrorize even without pulling the trigger."
@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg
bit.ly/32LDqCD

“We had something that worked really well...we should do safety training & background checks."
-Police Chief Paul Williams @chief_spd on his stance AGAINST the MO repeal of Concealed Carry Permitting in 2016.
@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg
bit.ly/3f3Iszc

"Ma’am, until there’s a chalk outline around your body, we aren’t going to do anything."
-Survivor Janice Thompson recounts what Police told her. #SurvivorStrong🧡💜
Now she runs a Facebook Page providing resources for others.
@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg
bit.ly/3kwRy8Q

“And I pray to God, he never shoots me. I am scared that he will someday, I just pray he doesn’t kill me. To be quite honest, I don’t doubt that he will. It’s just a matter of when.” -Survivor 'Molly'
#SurvivorStrong💜🧡
@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg
bit.ly/3nryxGx

“If guns aren’t removed, that sends a message that it’s more important for him to have his guns than for that woman to be safe,” -Dr. Susan Sorenson @ortnercenter
"14 states require officers to take away firearms, 6 authorize"
@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg
bit.ly/32O0Y9J

"When Missouri had a concealed carry permit requirement, it could be used to prevent people with domestic violence protection orders against them from getting a permit."
@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg
bit.ly/3kuVKFT

"In 2012 Springfield experienced spikes in Gun Violence driven by domestic abuse and the city formed a task force in response."
"Six years later, the Greene County Family Justice Center opened."
@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg
bit.ly/35y7pzs

"Kristen Snell at @myharmonyhouse (Greene County's) only DV shelter, said she would...help train officers to better understand trauma."
"...potential abusive tactics pointing but not firing a gun at their family, for example.”
@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg
myharmonyhouse.org

"When the husband pointed a gun on Joy and the police came, officers didn’t write a report. They assumed the husband was in the right and gave him the gun back."
Shannon Joy is #SurvivorStrong💜🧡
@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg
bit.ly/32PTOlA

"A trove of research has revealed that despite what they’ll tell you, an abuser isn’t violent because of outside circumstances."
“It is an active and conscious choice when they pick up that gun and hold it to your head."
@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg
bit.ly/3kxzECL

If you or someone you know might be a victim of domestic violence, reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline @ndvhat 1-800-799-7233 or contact domestic violence service providers in your area.
@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg
mocadsv.org/how-to-get-hel…

HUGE thanks to:
* Reporter Kaitlin Washburn @kwashy12
* Reporter Harrison Keegan @HKeeganNL
* Video/Photojournalist Tammy Ljungblad @kctammy2009
* Report for America @Report4America
* Missouri Foundation for Health @MoFoundHealth

@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg

Follow the 2-year Gun Violence In Missouri journalism project here
kansascity.com/news/state/mis…
@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg
Text READY to 644-33 to join one of 20 Missouri chapters of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

Want even more?
RSVP for a discussion about guns and domestic violence, in Springfield and across Missouri.
12:30 p.m. on Nov. 19, 2020
@MomsDemand @Everytown #MOleg
kansascity.com/news/state/mis…