A woman looks at a poster featuring photos of domestic violence homicide victims from Milwaukee County. Most domestic violence homicides in the state involve guns. (NNS file photo by Edgar Mendez)
By Edgar Mendez
This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.
As both a survivor and advocate on the issue, Natalie Hayden knows how guns can turn a domestic violence situation from dangerous to deadly.
“Having that weapon just really elevates things and makes it more lethal for both parties involved,” said Hayden, co-founder of ExPOSED Inc., a nonprofit that works to empower youths and foster healthy relationships.
They’re the type of tragedies, ones that involve guns in the hands of domestic abusers, that lawmakers hope to help prevent in the future. The plan is to reintroduce legislation this year to keep individuals convicted of domestic violence offenses from possessing firearms in Wisconsin.
State Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison), who co-authored similar legislation that failed to pass last year, said the goal is to align Wisconsin law with a federal law that keeps guns out of the hands of convicted domestic offenders.
“This is a loophole that allows convicted domestic violence offenders from having access to a firearm. They should have to surrender them,” Roys said. “The presence of a gun during a domestic violence incident is extremely dangerous.”
If passed this go-round, the legislation would change the state’s disorderly conduct statute to separate violent conduct from other types of disorderly conduct.
It also would alter the statute defining domestic abuse so that court records indicate the exact nature of the relationship between those involved. Together, they would close the loophole that allows domestic violence offenders in Wisconsin from possessing guns.
Impact of firearms on domestic violence situations
Jenna Gormal, public policy director for End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, said women are five times more likely to be killed when an abuser has access to a gun, and that domestic violence assaults involving a gun are 12 times more likely to result in death.
Firearms were used in 66 of 85 domestic violence homicides in Wisconsin in 2023, Gormal said.
The highest number, 28, occurred in Milwaukee County, according to the End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin Homicide Report 2023.
Domestic violence-related charges are often present before a domestic violence homicide occurs, Gormal said.
“That tells us that people that are convicted of domestic violence offenses are more likely to commit homicide,” she said.
Hayden said guns create a high-risk situation for everyone involved in a domestic violence situation. Sometimes, she said, victims will purchase their own firearm to protect themselves from an abuser who also has one.
Guns also create a situation that is harder for a victim to escape from, she said.
“There is a weapon involved and I don’t feel safe, but maybe I have to stick around for the safety of my kids,” Hayden said.
Having a firearm present also can result in an abuser making a fatal decision once his partner decides to leave, she said.
“People can resort to extreme violence once they feel like they’ve lost that control,” Hayden said.
Some support for change
Gov. Tony Evers said keeping firearms from domestic abusers was a priority of his administration during his State of the State Address in January. The City of Milwaukee passed a resolution in late 2023 in support of a change in state law that prevents domestic abusers from possessing guns.
Gormal said that legislation preventing domestic abusers from possessing firearms is a common sense, not a partisan, issue.
Roys said it’s an issue that everyone should care about but blames the gun lobby and Republican leaders for prioritizing politics over the safety of victims.
“The public overwhelmingly wants gun safety laws much broader than we have right now,” she said. “My hope is that they will finally start to prioritize women and kids who are being victimized.”
NNS reached out to Rep. Bob Donovan, a former Milwaukee alderman who now represents Greenfield on the state assembly, and Rep. Jessie Rodriguez, both Republicans, for comment on the legislation. Neither responded.
Corey Graff, executive director of Wisconsin Gun Owners Inc., a gun-rights organization, said the type of legislation Roys and others are pushing for would only impact law-abiding gun owners.
“Someone who is interested in committing an assault and potential murder against the victim is not going to follow any firearms laws,” Graff said. “Across the board, this is a homogenous attack on liberty and doesn’t address the crime of domestic violence.”
Graff said the legislation would also create a false sense of security for victims.
“They might assume that their attacker will follow the law, but that’s a false premise,” he said.
Tips for survivors
All situations are different, Hayden said, and women ultimately must decide for themselves what is best for them and their family. But, there are some strategic things they can do to help them be safer, she said.
“Let people know of your whereabouts. Bring people into the fold that you trust,” Hayden said.
Sometimes, she said, victims are not ready or even able to leave because of certain circumstances, but they can start thinking of a plan while they wait.
“You can look for a shelter, and if something happens, you can file the necessary paperwork,” she said. “It’s always good to document what happens if you get to the other side and it gets to the courts.”
Overall, she said, the system needs to improve if we are going to protect people from being victimized by domestic violence.
“We need the nets to be there to catch us when we are ready. We need to bring awareness to our young people so that they can be safe, and we need to keep guns from people who could use them to bring harm,” Hayden said.
Places in Milwaukee where you can find help for domestic violence