JWI Statement on Muscatine Iowa Familicide
June has brought another devastating family mass killing — also known as family annihilation — in the United States. In the small city of Muscatine, Iowa, a man with an extensive criminal history murdered six members of his family before killing himself. That case was identified as the sixth family mass killing in the U.S. this year, following the April family annihilation in Shreveport, Louisiana, that killed eight children. The same week, near Buffalo, New York, another man was accused of killing his wife and two young children, as well as a store clerk.
Familicides make the news, but they are only a small percentage of intimate partner homicides. There are nine murder-suicides every week, most committed against an intimate partner and involving a firearm. Sixteen percent of homicide victims in these murder-suicides are children or teens. More than 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner every month in the United States. Intimate partner homicide is an everyday occurrence.
To help prevent intimate partner homicides, federal law and many state laws prohibit certain adjudicated domestic abusers from possessing firearms. Typically, Violence Against Women Act grants help communities implement these laws and disarm adjudicated abusers. FY25 VAWA discretionary grants — including grants that help prevent intimate partner firearm homicides — should have been awarded by the end of September 2025, with work starting October 1, 2025. These grants must be awarded and released to prevent and respond to domestic violence and other forms of violence against women, and the Office on Violence Against Women must continue as an independent agency.
As part of Jewish Women International’s (JWI) commitment to ending gender-based violence and strengthening protections for survivors, we are calling for action. Gun Violence Awareness Month reminds us what is at stake, but awareness is not enough; this crisis demands action.
Contact your members of Congress today and urge them to tell DOJ to award VAWA grants.
JWI is the leading Jewish organization championing women and girls by preventing domestic violence and sexual abuse, addressing the intersection of domestic violence and gun violence, building pathways to long-term economic security, and strengthening access to every level of leadership in our communities, workplaces, and country.