Wendy Davis On Gun Violence: ‘Women Are Uniquely Vulnerable’

Jenavieve Hatch
Updated
Wendy Davis arrives at the Feminist Majority Foundation 30th Anniversary party in Los Angeles in May.  (Photo: Amanda Edwards via Getty Images)
Wendy Davis arrives at the Feminist Majority Foundation 30th Anniversary party in Los Angeles in May.  (Photo: Amanda Edwards via Getty Images)

Former Texas State Senator Wendy Davis knows that the fight against gun violence cannot be won without women, and in an op-ed for Cosmopolitan published on Thursday, she wrote about why women “shouldn’t shut up” about the pervasive issue ― and how they can work to fix it.

Davis opened the op-ed with a sampling of this week’s news headlines, about the mass shooting in Sutherland Springs that left 26 dead, as well as other shootings in Plano and North Austin.

The Sutherland Springs and Plano mass shootings both involved domestic violence in some capacity.

“While gun safety may not seem like a feminist issue at first blush, it doesn’t take too much digging to see that women are uniquely vulnerable to and disproportionately the victims of gun violence,” Davis wrote.

She cited the harrowing statistics that show how seriously women are affected by gun violence (54 percent of mass shootings, for example, involve domestic violence), and wrote about how important it is that women to take their rage to the ballot box.

“Virginia and New Jersey voters just kicked a whole string of NRA-ass-kissing elected officials out of office and replaced them with governors and legislative members who are committed to common-sense gun-safety measures,” she wrote about Tuesday’s elections. Those voters, she said, were “propelled by” women-led groups that work to end gun violence, like Moms Demand Action and Americans for Responsible Solutions, led by former Congresswoman and mass shooting survivor Gabby Giffords.

“A wise lawmaker once said to me, ‘Change happens when mama bear gets mad,’” Davis wrote.

“Well, in the face of repeated mass shootings around the country and the human carnage left in their wake, mama bear is fire-engine-red mad right now. And she’s not backing down.”

Head over to Cosmo to read the whole piece.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated the name of the Texas city in which there was a recent mass shooting. It is Sutherland Springs, not Sunderland Springs.

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Law enforcement officials investigate a mass shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. 
Law enforcement officials investigate a mass shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. 
Members of the Wilson County Sheriff's Office stand just inside a taped-off area near the First Baptist Church.
Members of the Wilson County Sheriff's Office stand just inside a taped-off area near the First Baptist Church.
Law enforcement officials gather near the First Baptist Church following a shooting on Nov. 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Law enforcement officials gather near the First Baptist Church following a shooting on Nov. 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Law enforcement officials gather near the First Baptist Church. 
Law enforcement officials gather near the First Baptist Church. 
A sign at the First Baptist Church. 
A sign at the First Baptist Church. 
Law enforcement officials continue their investigation at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Law enforcement officials continue their investigation at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas.
A gunman killed 26 people at the church and wounded many more when he opened fire during a Sunday service. 
A gunman killed 26 people at the church and wounded many more when he opened fire during a Sunday service. 
View of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs.
View of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs.
A woman and her children take part in a vigil for victims of a mass shooting in Sutherland Springs. 
A woman and her children take part in a vigil for victims of a mass shooting in Sutherland Springs. 
Michaun Johnson attends a candlelight vigil.
Michaun Johnson attends a candlelight vigil.
Danny Barker, his wife Tomie and grandson Gage attend a candlelight vigil after a mass shooting at the First Baptist Church.
Danny Barker, his wife Tomie and grandson Gage attend a candlelight vigil after a mass shooting at the First Baptist Church.
Sofia Martinez, 9, attends a candlelight vigil after a mass shooting at the First Baptist Church.
Sofia Martinez, 9, attends a candlelight vigil after a mass shooting at the First Baptist Church.
Bailey Lejeaune and David Betancourt attend a candlelight vigil after a mass shooting at the First Baptist Church.
Bailey Lejeaune and David Betancourt attend a candlelight vigil after a mass shooting at the First Baptist Church.
Local residents take part in a vigil for victims of a mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Local residents take part in a vigil for victims of a mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.