Word ‘domestic’ doesn’t diminish damage of violence

Posted 4/26/16

To the Editor:

One of the arguments domestic abusers and gun right advocates use against removing guns is that it’s their property and right. H7243 and H7575 have a different perspective …

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Word ‘domestic’ doesn’t diminish damage of violence

Posted

To the Editor:

One of the arguments domestic abusers and gun right advocates use against removing guns is that it’s their property and right. H7243 and H7575 have a different perspective and value. It believes that a person’s life is a higher priority than a piece of property and that Rhode Island should also. If an abuser values his weapons more than his domestic partner than surely H7243 and H7575 is required.

We remove licenses (driving, medical, legal, hunting) from people who are irresponsible, even if it is temporary, to prevent them from causing harm to others. Why shouldn’t we do the same if someone has been convicted or has demonstrated the potential to use violence as a solution to a perceived injustice?

Unfortunately, there is a tendency to view domestic violence with more acceptance then we do with all other forms of violence, including allowing people who perpetrate acts of domestic violence to possess weapons that can turn an assault into a murder. Violence is an extreme form of physical, psychological and emotional aggression, such as an assault, rape or murder. Putting the word domestic in front of violence does not lessen its destructive consequences on another person.

H7243 and H7575 will help to protect both the victim and the abuser from turning an explosive situation into a deadly tragedy.

Take care, give care and be present.

Tom Wojick

Cranston

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  • davebarry109

    Very simple Tom. Most cases of domestic violence do not involve any weapon. When a weapon is use, the weapon most used is not a firearm. This is more about fear of guns than common sense. Also, unlike taking a license away, driving is not a constitutional right. Self-defense is. The statistics do not show that most domestic abusers will kill their significant other, with a gun or anything else. If all domestic violence, or even the majority of it, ended in death, I would be on your side. This is simply not the case and these bills are more about gun control than protecting victims of domestic violence. Quite simply Tom, since the majority of deaths in domestic violence are not from objects other than guns, why the focus on guns? Because you can't outlaw knives and blunt objects. In other words, this is an easy solution that does not have scientific or statistical backing. Its emotional. Its fear of guns.

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