VIOLENCE POLICY CENTER RELEASES WHEN MEN MURDER WOMEN:
AN ANALYSIS OF 1998 HOMICIDE DATA
South Carolina Ranks #1 in
Rate of Women Murdered by Men
The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released When
Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 1998 Homicide Data, an annual
report detailing female homicides involving one female murder victim and
one male offender. The report provides a state-by-state ranking of female
homicide rates. South Carolina ranked first in the rate of women killed
by men.
"This study dispels the gun lobby myth that the greatest threat to a
woman is an attack by a stranger and that having a handgun protects them
from death and injury," Karen Brock, health policy analyst at the VPC,
said today. "Handguns don't save lives, they take lives. The truth is
that the greatest threat to a woman is the men she knows best: husbands,
boyfriends, and other intimate acquaintances with ready access to handguns."
In addition to South Carolina, the top 10 states include: Louisiana,
Arkansas, North Carolina, Wyoming, Maine, Oklahoma, Nevada, Alabama, and
Colorado.
| Ranking |
State |
Number of Homicides |
Homicide Rate per 100,000 |
| 1 |
South Carolina |
62 |
3.12 |
| 2 |
Louisiana |
61 |
2.69 |
| 3 |
Arkansas |
35 |
2.67 |
| 4 |
North Carolina |
100 |
2.57 |
| 5 |
Wyoming |
6 |
2.51 |
| 6 |
Maine |
15 |
2.35 |
| 7 |
Oklahoma |
37 |
2.16 |
| 8 |
Nevada |
18 |
2.10 |
| 9 |
Alabama |
47 |
2.08 |
| 10 |
Colorado |
41 |
2.05 |
The Violence Policy Center is a
national non-profit educational foundation that conducts research on violence
in America and works to develop violence-reduction policies and proposals.
The Center examines the role of firearms in America, conducts research
on firearms violence, and explores new ways to decrease firearm-related
death and injury.
|
 |
For Release:
Thursday, October 26, 2000
Contact:
Naomi Seligman
Violence Policy Center
(202) 822-8200 x105
|
|
