Gun Violence Is a Women's Issue

Vision Quilt Coordinator Lynne Prather of Oakland, California in front of the White House.

Vision Quilt is joining the Women's March in our local communities and in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, January 21. We are marching with our mothers, daughters, sisters and our male friends to send a bold message to our new government that women's rights are human rights. 

Why is it important for Vision Quilt to march? Because we know that gun violence is a women's issue. The statistics are staggering. 

Guns make it more likely that domestic abuse will turn into a violent situation. The presence of a gun increases the risk of homicide for women by 500 percent, according to a comprehensive report compiled by Everytown for Gun Safety.

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With 100,000 Americans killed or injured by guns every year, there are at least 100,000 mothers, daughters, sisters and friends who are impacted by gun violence. More facts to consider:

• American women are 16 times more likely to be killed with a gun than in other high-income countries
• In an average month, 50 women are shot to death by a current or former partner in the United States
• Approximately 4.5 million American women have been threatened with guns, and guns are the weapon of choice in domestic violence murders

We offer you a downloadable PDF of the full report about gun violence and women. 

We are marching to show unity and to empower women. Awareness is the first step toward change. 

Vision Quilt panel created by Alex Mendelsohn.

The times are too critical to indulge in despair or cynicism or pessimism. 
​Now, more than ever, we must muster all the creativity, compassion and courage we can.
- Larry Robinson