CEO Susan Higginbotham Discusses Domestic Violence and Firearms
Today, Susan Higginbotham, PCADV CEO, presented testimony on the intersection of guns and domestic violence as part of a panel to discuss preventing domestic violence-related shootings.
The hearing was held in State College and was hosted by the Special Council on Gun Violence. Today’s hearing focused on domestic violence and guns but is one of a series of discussions being held across the state to address multiple topics on gun violence prevention.
Higginbotham’s testimony focused on the prevalence and lethality of guns and domestic violence. A woman’s likelihood of being killed increases by 500 percent if a gun is present in a domestic violence situation. “Understanding the intersection of firearms and domestic violence and the impact on victims and the community-at-large has been a long-standing priority for PCADV,” said Higginbotham. She went on to suggest a number of programmatic and legislative changes that could be beneficial in improving safety for victims and survivors of domestic violence.
View Susan Higginbotham’s complete testimony here.