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Of all the things I could have picked to write about, why would I choose pistol patent day?
The answer Animal abuse and gun violence are inextricably linked. Study after study has shown that people who abuse animals tend to abuse others as well. Those with access to guns will use them not only against animals but also domestic partners and as was discovered, against teachers and peers.
Animal abuse is being tracked by the FBI and has been for a number of years. The FBI has found a predictive link between people who abuse animals and other violent crimes against humans. Animal abuse is a predictor for serial killers, spree shooters, and most commonly domestic abusers.
Unlike child abuse, companion animal abuse is only required to be reported in 20 states. In some cases, the reporting authority is animal control. The link between an abused animal and other abuse that might be going on in the home may not be realized by the police until it is too late. It is common for abusers to start with the family pet. The fear they instill in their children and partners as the see what is being done to their furry family members is usually enough to exert the kind of control abusers thrive on. When they finally kill the animal or are met with resistance, that is when physical abuse is normally turned on to the family. If animal abuse made to be reported evenly and taken seriously by law enforcement, many ER trips and deaths could potentially be prevented.
In 2018 Congresswoman Katherine Clark of Massachusetts introduced the Animal Violence Exposes Real Threat (AVERT) of Future Gun Violence Act as a commonsense step toward preventing individuals with a propensity for violence from accessing firearms. The bill prohibits individuals with a misdemeanor conviction for animal cruelty from possessing a firearm. Federal law prohibits felons from legally obtaining a gun, but in most states, animal abuse is only a misdemeanor.
Until we take seriously, violence against animals, we will never be able to reduce the most dangerous and most unprotected kind of violence. Domestic violence. As long as abusive men and women are allowed to keep their guns, domestic violence will remain one of the costliest crimes in the US and the most dangerous police calls.
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