The Giffords Law Center released a report discussing the multifaceted impact of gun violence on women, noting that more than 6,000 females die annually due to firearm-related incidents. The report highlights how domestic violence, community violence, mental health, and access to guns contribute to these deaths and predictably argues in favor of more gun control laws.

"Each year, more than 6,000 women die from gun violence. More than half of these deaths are gun suicides, and women are also heavily impacted by the deadly intersection of guns and domestic violence."

The report also points out that American women “are 21 times more likely to die from gun violence” compared to other developed nations. This issue disproportionately impacts Black women, who experienced a 72 percent increase in gun suicides in recent years.

Gun suicide rates among minor girls between ten and 17 years old increased 63 percent over the past decade, which is a serious tragedy regardless of which side of the gun debate one falls on.

Gun homicides among women saw a 40 percent increase from 2018 to 2022, according to the report, with Black women being five times more likely to be killed by an assailant using a firearm than White women. Even further, about 750 women are killed each year in firearm-related intimate partner homicides. “More than two-thirds of all intimate partner homicides of women are committed with guns,” the report notes.

"Women of color bear an even higher burden. American Indian and Alaska Native women and Black women are killed in firearm intimate partner homicides at two and three times the rate of white women, respectively."

Naturally, the Giffords Law Center prescribes more gun control laws as the solution. "One study found that waiting period laws may reduce suicide rates by up to 11%, and extreme risk laws in Connecticut and Indiana have been associated with 14% and 7.5% reductions, respectively, in gun suicides in these states,” the authors wrote.

The organization also recommends more restrictions on those who have restraining orders filed against them, claiming “a 13% reduction in intimate partner homicides involving firearms, with reductions of up to 16% observed when states require proof of firearm relinquishment for DVROs.”

Yet, current trends suggest that instead of relying on the government to protect them, more women are arming themselves. A 2021 study revealed that almost half of new gun buyers since 2019 were women, with about 3.5 million women becoming new gun owners between January 2019 and April 2021.

By 2024, about 25 percent of women indicated they owned firearms, compared with about 40 percent of men. The reason for the increased rate of gun ownership among women is obvious: Self-protection. About 92 percent of these women indicated they purchased firearms to protect themselves.

The 2021 National Firearms Survey showed that among new female gun buyers, 28 percent were Black, 19 percent were Hispanic, and 55 percent were White.

These numbers show that more women understand that gun control laws will not help them when they are facing a dangerous criminal. They know that no matter what legislation a government passes, criminals will always find a way to victimize people.

Many of the articles I’ve written about defensive gun uses involve female gun owners.

In one instance, an 83-year-old woman fatally shot a home intruder who threatened her with a firearm. In another story, a Texas mother shot a 14-year-old boy who had broken into her home and tried to assault her. A grand jury later declined to press charges. Another incident involved a knife-wielded suspect who attacked a woman before she shot him.

Each of these cases illustrates why gun ownership among women is important – especially given the physical advantage men possess over females. Instead of recognizing the need for women to be able to defend themselves, anti-gunner groups insist that they rely on the state to shield them from violent criminals. Fortunately, an increasing number of women are refusing to heed that deadly advice.