"I have worked at the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at Johns Hopkins since 2009 when my daughter was shot and injured at Virginia Tech. I’ve learned a lot since. … States with strong gun laws have lower death rates than [other] states."
— Laurie Haas, Center for Gun VIolence Solutions, Johns Hopkins
You could have heard a pin drop in the room as Lisette Johnson told the story of being shot by her husband of 21 years. It wasn’t an easy story to tell. She tells it because she cannot believe Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed bills that would have prevented her husband from keeping that weapon after he threatened her.
“My verbally abusive husband was not mentally ill, he didn’t just ‘snap.’ He had told me years earlier that if I ever tried to leave him he’d put a bullet through my head. I had asked him to keep guns away from our home and he said he had. But he had not. He knew exactly what he planned to do.
“I was one of the lucky ones — not just because I survived but because he didn’t shoot my children. And as I lay bleeding from four bullets in my chest wall, liver, and diaphragm, my 12 year old daughter had the presence of mind to tell her brother to run next door and call 911. [My husband] had disabled the phone.“
Virginia is one of a handful of states that hasn’t closed fatal loopholes in the law. It is difficult for women like Johnson to understand why.
“What a slap in the face,” she said, “ for us to be considered so insignificant by our elected governor that he feels comfortable vetoing legislation that would have protected victims of sexual and domestic violence in Virginia. When courts hold abusers accountable it works,” said Johnson. “There is no reason why anyone under a restraining order should have possession of a firearm.”
Johnson’s advocacy for victims was emphasized by the appearance of four local legislators, some of them just elected, who stood up and talked about legislation they had gotten through the Virginia General Assembly only to be vetoed by Youngkin. And they were angry.
Jonathan Yglesias, policy director for the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, thanked Doorways for hosting the event. “Gov. Youngkin’s decision to veto these bills and cut millions of dollars from agencies providing vital services to crime victims jeopardizes the safety of women and families and leaves sexual and domestic violence advocates without the resources to do their jobs,” he said. “Without a significant influx of state dollars, there will be catastrophic and generational impacts on victims throughout Virginia.”
Doorways is one of those organizations seeing more calls for help and fewer resources.
“Youngkin cut more than $7 million from agencies providing services to victims of domestic violence,” said Yglesias, while reminding attendees that despite cuts, help is available with trained advocates 24 hours a day.
“We also need to be paying attention to the helpers and advocates who need places like Doorways to be open to them,” said Laurie Haas, Center for Gun VIolence Solutions, Johns Hopkins.
"I have worked at the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at Johns Hopkins since 2009 when my daughter was shot and injured at Virginia Tech. I’ve learned a lot since. The greed driven efforts of the gun lobby to reframe the second amendment as the absolute right for anyone to carry any gun anywhere has resulted in our country being awash in firearms. We regulate our right to free speech. I can’t go into a theater and yell “Fire!” We regulate the right to assemble: I can’t go up to the Capitol and stand on the steps without a permit. States with strong gun laws have lower death rates than states with loose gun laws."
To learn more: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/center-for-gun-violence-solutions/about/our-team
For more: https://www.doorwaysva.org
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