“The silence is deafening.” Those were the words used by James Brown, host of the NFL Today on CBS, a program devoted to NFL activities before the games start on Sunday. Usually the pre-game show is devoted to NFL games and news. But his opening story was about the recent deaths of two NFL players one of which was related to domestic violence. He pointed out that in the next hour three women would die from domestic violence.
Another part of his commentary said it was estimated that 75% of all NFL players own guns, compared to 45% in the general population. Bill Cowher, who used to be the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is also on the show. When he took over the Steelers, he read the rules and regulations to the players and told everybody that by 11 o’clock that night they had to get all guns out of their lockers. Seven players came forward and turned in their guns; that is 7 out of 50 players that had handguns in an NFL facility.
But his main point was about domestic violence. Domestic violence as you may know almost always happens behind closed doors in the “comfort and safety” of a home setting. It is still the most under reported crime in the country. Many victims are embarrassed or afraid to report it so the statistics on domestic violence incidents are tragically misleading.
In northern Virginia for example arrests have climbed by 277% from six years ago according to the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services-a nearly three-fold increase in arrests. Our hat is off to those in northern Virginia. This increase is attributed to new laws that are encouraging police to do more to combat the trend, and the economy that is pushing people beyond normal limits.
Economic issues continue to be a major contributing factor in the instigation of domestic violence disputes. Fights about money and unemployment both contribute greatly to the problem.
We are thankful for the many people who are trying to heighten awareness of the seriousness of the crime-yes the crime! They and others are bringing the issue out of the closet and shedding light on it. For far too long domestic violence was attributed to a spat between husband and wife. Once you get over that thinking and call it what it is-usually an assault by a husband on his wife, then it puts it into a completely different category.
Sadly, one in four women in her lifetime will become a victim of domestic violence. They can defend themselves with a self-defense product such as a stun device or defensive spray. It will take a long time for those statistics to change. We sense some movement. But as long as “the silence is deafening” nothing will change.
Check out our big selection of 81 Keychain Defensive Sprays. One of them has your name on it.
Small Stun Devices are a great defense for women against domestic assault.
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