UltraViolet on the Supreme Court’s Decision Undermining a States’ Right to Regulate Guns; Says Decision is a Direct Threat to Women Across the US
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 23, 2022
CONTACT: Anna Zuccaro | anna@unbendablemedia.com
UltraViolet on the Supreme Court’s Decision Undermining a States’ Right to Regulate Guns; Says Decision is a Direct Threat to Women Across the US
Statement from Shaunna Thomas, co-founder and executive director of UltraViolet, a leading national gender justice organization:
“The Supreme Court has declared war on women. Plain and simple. Between this decision limiting a State’s right to regulate guns and the expected decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the Court has made clear that it is pro-violence, anti-woman and intent on harming the lives and wellbeing of women across the country.
“While today’s decision is about New York’s right to restrict concealed carry, this ruling opens the possibility of overturning common sense gun regulations that keep people safer. From prohibiting guns on planes, to keeping them out of the hands of domestic abusers – in this moment where America continues to experience an ongoing gun violence epidemic – the Supreme Court has made all Americans less safe and calls even more deeply into question their legitimacy.
“And for women who face acute threats from gun violence – this decision could spell disaster.
“Let’s be clear: gun violence is a gender justice issue. There’s a common warning sign of mass shootings: most mass shooters have a history of violence towards women. The numbers don’t lie. 54% of mass shootings in the United States are connected to intimate partner violence, and 98% of mass shootings are perpetrated by men.
“For the millions of women in America impacted by domestic violence, the physical presence of a gun increases the likelihood of murder fivefold. So much so that women in the US are sixteen times more likely to be killed with a gun than women in the rest of the developed world.
“Today’s decision was made possible by Republicans who packed the Supreme Court bench with ideological extremists and overtly political operatives. Republicans have made it clear that they will break any principle to distort our nation’s political system against the will of the American people. This decision goes directly against what the overwhelming majority of Americans know to be true: that more common sense gun regulations make us safer.
“The Republicans have broken the Supreme Court and undermined the credibility of our democracy. And in doing so, they have allowed the highest bench on the land to declare open season on women’s rights and safety.”
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