Did you know that October was Domestic Violence Awareness month? Neither did I, but I think I'll celebrate this year by not going to Nevada, which, according to a recent study, ranks #1 in the rate of women murdered by men for the second year in a row.
In the annual report from the Violence Policy Center (VPC), which analyzed 2006 homicide data, Nevada, with a rate of Nevada, rate of 3.27 murders per 100,000 is ranked highest, followed by South Carolina at #2 with a rate of 2.84 per 100,000; Alabama at #3 with a rate of 2.20 per 100,000; Oklahoma at #4 with a rate of 2.10 per 100,000; Louisiana at #5 with a rate of 1.97 per 100,000; Vermont at #6 with a rate of 1.90 per 100,000; Texas at #7 with a rate of 1.82 per 100,000; Arkansas at #8 with a rate of 1.74 per 100,000; Arizona at #9 with a rate of 1.72 per 100,000; and, Tennessee at #10 with a rate of 1.70 per 100,000. Given that national rate of women killed by men in single victim/single offender instances is 1.29 per 100,000, that puts Nevada's rate at roughly 2 1/2 times the national average.
The VPC's research also showed that, of the 1,836 females murdered by males in 2006, 73% were committed with a firearm, and 92% of the victims knew their attackers (60% of those were the wives or girlfriends of the attackers). And, perhaps surprisingly, in 88 % of all incidents where the circumstances could be determined, the homicides were not related to the commission of any other felony, such as rape or robbery.
The Violence Policy Center is a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury in America. For more information or to help, visit www.vpc.org . Because maybe what happens in Vegas should no longer stay in Vegas.
