AN OPEN LETTER ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND THE LONG GUN REGISTRY FROM YWCA CANADA
2011/04/04To:
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister
The Honourable Michael Ignatieff, Leader of the Opposition
Mr. Gilles Duceppe, Leader of the Bloc Quebecois
Mr. Jack Layton, Leader of the NDP
Ms. Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party
Violence against women is a $4 billion problem in this country. Every year, 100,000 women and children leave their homes fleeing violence and abuse. Almost 20,000 of those come through the doors of the 31 shelters operated by YWCAs across Canada looking for safety, for a roof over their heads, for care and support.
As the nation’s largest single provider of shelter to women and children fleeing violence, YWCA Canada knows the long gun registry is a public safety tool that makes women’s lives safer. Across the country, our shelters tell us the long gun registry is useful and needed. Our rural shelters tell us police consult the long gun registry every time they go to a domestic violence incident. These are not automatic checks, but deliberate and specific searches for the presence of firearms in the home, especially long guns.
Read the rest of the Press Release here.
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