VIOLENCE POLICY CENTER RELEASES WHEN MEN MURDER WOMEN: AN ANALYSIS OF 1998 HOMICIDE DATA

For Release:  Thursday, October 26, 2000

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

 

 

 

About the Violence Policy Center
The Violence Policy Center is a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury. Follow the VPC on TwitterFacebook, and YouTube.

Media Contact:
Georgia Seltzer
(202) 822-8200 x104
gseltzer@vpc.org