BCIFV home > Media Releases > April 12, 2002

For Immediate Release: April 12, 2002
Contact: Penny Bain, phone: 604-669-7055 or 1 877-755-7055 or
pbain@bcifv.org or www.bcifv.org

Media Release:
BC Institute Against Family Violence Blasts Alliance MP For Comments

In remarks made yesterday in the House of Commons, Canadian Alliance MP Howard Hilstrom claimed that firearms played a negligible role in situations of domestic abuse, particularly in cases of domestic homicide. "[The parliamentary secretary] said that in 1998, 63% of all female domestic homicide victims.were shot with ordinary rifles and shotguns," said Hilstrom. "Holy samoly, that has to be a large number. Let us look at the facts which are quite clear: it is 63% of what the total deaths, or homicides, of victims were and that number could very well be 10 or 15." In response, Penny Bain, Executive Director of the BC Institute Against Family Violence, issued the following statement:

"I am outraged by the statements made by Canadian Alliance MPs as they attempt to undermine our gun control law with half-truths and misinformation. I witness, on a daily basis the destructive effects of firearms in the context of domestic violence. The focus on the "criminal element" misses the point: legally acquired rifles and shotguns are the weapons of choice in cases of domestic homicide. Approximately forty percent of women who are killed by their husbands are shot and most of them (80%) with legally owned rifles and shotguns. For every death or injury caused by a firearm, hundreds more are threatened and terrorized in their homes."

"The Coroner's inquest into the Vernon massacre where Mark Chahal killed his estranged wife, eight members of her family, and then himself with his legally acquired gun in 1997 reaffirmed the importance of registering all firearms and licensing of gun owners as preventative measures. Licensing of gun owners is critical to ensure that individuals that may pose a threat to themselves or to others do not have access to firearms. Most of all, it can prevent the ownership of guns by abusive partners and reduce the number of tragic domestic homicides."

"Violence inflicts devastating social and economic costs on society. While gun control is not a panacea, it is another tool we need in order to improve the safety of women and children. Public support is clearly behind the legislation and I hope Canadian Alliance members will finally look at the facts."

For more information, contact Penny Bain, Executive Director of the BC Institute Against Family Violence at 669-7055 or
1 877-755-7055, pbain@bcifv.org or www.bcifv.org.

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