“Guns make women safer.”

That’s what Gayle Trotter, a conservative gun advocate, said at Wednesday’s Senate hearing on gun violence.(¹⁾ At the hearing, one conservative witness after another argued vehemently against background checks, against limiting high-capacity ammunition clips, and for assault weapons.(²⁾

But here’s the inconvenient truth: The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the chance that a woman will be murdered by 500%.(³⁾

And here’s another: In states that require a background check for every handgun sale, 38% fewer women are shot to death by partners.(⁴⁾

We need to make sure that people hear the facts about gun violence–that common-sense safety measures, not more guns, will make women safer.

Here’s what happens when you fact check:

Sources: 1. Gayle Trotter: ‘Guns make women safer,’ Washington Post, January 30, 2013 2. Gun Control Hearing Features Gabrielle Giffords, NRA Official Wayne LaPierre, Huffington Post, January 30, 2013 3. Risk Factors for Femicide in Abusive Relationships: Results From a Multisite Case Control Study, American Journal of Public Health, September 23, 2002 4. Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data: Supplementary Homicide Reports, 2010, National Archive of Criminal Justice Data, June 6, 2012

Special thanks to Nita and Shaunna from Ultraviolet http://www.weareultraviolet.org.