Significance of Guns

Guns feature prominently throughout the book as many victims are either threatened with them or killed by them at the hands of their partners or spouses. Snyder provides a lot of evidence to demonstrate that gun ownership and access to guns are directly correlated to heightened levels of domestic violence homicide. Gun control therefore becomes an important part of the discussion on how to reduce domestic violence homicide and better protect victims. Gun control also reduces homicides committed against abusers, as in the case of Martina's niece Bresha. In some places, like Montana, it appears as though gun control is nothing more than a pipe dream, as gun ownership is so ingrained in the local culture. However, despite this culture and the power of the second amendment, serious conversations about guns and gun ownership need to happen.