UNIONTOWN, Ohio. — The Ohio chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety grassroots networks, released the following statement on the mass shooting in Uniontown. According to reports, a family of five were found dead from confirmed multiple gunshot wounds. Law enforcement officials believe this was a domestic violence incident that ended in a quadruple homicide-suicide.
“Our hearts are with the loved ones of the Dunham family during this horrific time,” said Amy Shroyer, a volunteer with the Ohio chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Domestic violence can turn deadly when armed with a gun but it doesn’t have to be this way. Our lawmakers must do more to protect Ohio families from gun violence — the time for action is long overdue.”
This week a gunman walked into a biker bar in Trabuco Canyon, California looking for his estranged wife before shooting nine people, including three fatally. In Monroe Township this past June, three children were shot and killed by their father and their mother was shot and wounded in what appears to be familicide. Gun-related intimate partner violence is a devastating and lethal crisis facing women and families in the United States. Every month, an average of 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner. In addition, intimate partner mass shootings are not uncommon, though many don’t make headlines.
Ohio has some of the weakest firearm laws in the country, scoring only 13 out of 100 for gun law strength, and has no state laws prohibiting firearm possession by convicted domestic abusers or abusers who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders. In an average year, 1,702 people die and 3,753 people are wounded by guns in Ohio. Gun violence costs Ohio $22.3 billion each year, of which $493.7 million is paid by taxpayers. Learn more about gun violence in Ohio here. More information on gun-related domestic violence is available here. Information about the intersection of intimate partner violence and guns is available here.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or intimate partner violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, available 24/7, for confidential assistance from a trained advocate. If you’re unable to speak safely via phone, you can chat online at thehotline.org.
