The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
The League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson urges Pima County to take additional steps to protect domestic violence survivors and their families.
The League of Women Voters has advocated for comprehensive gun safety legislation over the past three decades, supporting measures like universal background checks, assault weapon regulations, safe storage laws, and increased accountability for police shootings.
This year, the Gun Violence Prevention Committee of the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson facilitated listening sessions with representatives of law enforcement, the legal community, the courts, social services, nonprofit organizations, and medical professionals – to better understand the complex issues related to domestic violence and its intersection with firearm violence in our community.
People are also reading…
From the Emerge Center Against Domestic Violence, we learned that the risk of homicide increases by 500% when a firearm is present in the home. Within the state of Arizona, homicide of an intimate partner by firearm is 45% higher than the national average. Narrowing to Pima County, the rate of homicide of an intimate partner by firearm is higher per 100,000 residents compared to Maricopa County. On average, the Tucson Police Department responds to 15,000 domestic violence cases a year. It has been estimated that 10% of domestic violence cases here involve firearms.
We heard from both the City of Tucson Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Court and the Superior Court for Pima County that many domestic violence felony cases/charges are either dismissed or waived to misdemeanors. During the period 2022-23, over 900 domestic violence felony charges were dismissed. An additional 400 plus domestic violence felony cases were waived to misdemeanors.
Given the lethality of firearms in domestic violence situations, felony charges are often necessary to remove the firearm that threatens the intimate partner. Whether a firearm or some other form of deadly weapon is used or threatened, failing to prosecute domestic violence offenders puts survivors and their families in a dangerous environment. Domestic violence survivors who seek safety from their abuser are forced to flee our community when no other local, safe haven is available.
The League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson supports policy that directly supports survivors of domestic violence, intimate partner violence and abuse. Arizona Statute ARS 13-3601 defines “domestic violence” as specific dangerous crimes and offenses committed between individuals in certain relationships, such as marriage, cohabitation, shared children, or romantic involvement. It grants peace officers the authority to arrest individuals with probable cause, seize firearms to prevent harm, and mandates informing survivors of protection resources, while considering the presence of minors and the increased risk to pregnant victims.
In conjunction with supporting enforcement policies such as Arizona Statute ARS 13-3601, LWVGT urges Pima County, because of its historical, central role in supporting victim families, to re-establish a robust network of resources for survivors with local domestic violence prevention agencies.
Addressing the intersection of domestic violence and firearm violence by reducing the ability of domestic violence offenders to retain firearms they use to threaten, injure or kill will not only better protect innocent survivors but also have a positive impact on the overall firearm violence within our community. We, the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson, urge governmental and domestic violence prevention agencies in Pima County to work collaboratively to make this happen.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that works to empower and educate citizens on ways to improve government.