Domestic Violence and Firearms
This information is provided by StrongHearts Native Helpline
“Domestic violence including the use of firearms was introduced through colonization and continues to wreak havoc on Native peoples today. Colonization is the act of domination involving the subjugation of one people to another. Similarly, domestic violence occurs when one partner uses a pattern of abusive behavior to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. Stemming from a long history of colonization and abuse, Native Americans suffer in greater numbers when it comes to domestic violence; and when it comes to firearms, which can be used as a means to threaten, intimidate, assault or kill a victim of domestic violence, the statistics are alarming.”