This newsletter expresses concern that, far from providing protection from attackers, guns increase the risk of violence against women and, most especially, of fatal violence. Women outnumber men as the victims of murder in the family. Most meet their death at the hands of a partner or male relative. Several countries which have reformed their domestic gun laws have shown the importance and effectiveness of greater gun control. In the context of armed conflict or gang violence, uncontrolled proliferation of arms increases the danger to women.
