N.C. Ranks 6th in Domestic Slayings

The annual report -- sponsored by the Violence Policy Center, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. -- focused on the role firearms play in the violence.

According to the report, 10 of the top 15 states identified were located in the South. Mississippi ranked first, with South Carolina third and Tennessee fourth.

It was released in concurrence with Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The results showed that the majority of female homicides were committed with firearms. In North Carolina, 72 percent of female murder victims were killed with guns in 2000.

Tracy Turner, deputy director of the N.C. Domestic Violence Commission estimated that 40 domestic-violence-related homicides already have been reported in North Carolina this year.

The results were not surprising because the state was ranked in the top 10 for the past two years, said Mary Beth Loucks-Sorrell, interim director of the N.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

The coalition's legislative committee has lobbied for state legislation to mirror federal domestic anti-violence legislation. The federal law prohibits people who have ever been convicted of any domestic violence felony or misdemeanor from ever purchasing firearms.

Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, said there is a large gap between existing state domestic violence laws.

Legislation has been proposed in the N.C. General Assembly that would require criminal background checks for anyone purchasing a gun in any venue, although it has never passed.

Kinnaird said increasing domestic violence in North Carolina is a problem that must be dealt with.

But dealing with the problem might be easier in other areas of the country.

"Because so many North Carolinians own guns, (legislators) are reluctant to start conversations about guns in relation to domestic violence," Loucks-Sorrell said.

She added that problems have been caused by severe cuts in funding to about 90 organizations throughout the state that aid victims of domestic violence.

The N.C. coalition will receive a $880,000 grant from the federal government next May that will be used to raise awareness about domestic violence, Loucks-Sorrell said. But she said the grant will not be able to compensate programs for previous losses.

Loucks-Sorrell also said raising awareness about domestic violence is crucial because even if the laws exist, local government officials might choose to interpret and enforce them in different ways.

"If there isn't cultural support, then we need greater proof (through active legislation)," she said.

Turner said that the center was concerned by the ranking and that efforts are being made to address domestic violence. She said the commission also is lobbying for state legislation that mirrors federal domestic violence legislation.

"The ranking suggests that there is work still to be done," Turner said. "We are going to (continue to) work hard and to try and alleviate conditions leading to domestic violence through legislation and policy initiatives."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.