Yes. Thank you very much for that question.
One thing we wanted to bring to the attention of the committee is the reality that gun violence looks different in the lives of women and girls than it does in the lives of men. Not only can guns lead to femicide or murder. They are also used as tools to control and threaten women who are living in abusive situations. I personally have worked with women, and many of the organizations that are part of our coalition work daily with women, who experience sexual and physical assault by partners who own a firearm. The presence of that firearm in the home makes it much more difficult to leave a situation or reach out for help. It also makes it extremely dangerous.
I also want to draw attention to the fact that gun violence in women's lives is not the same for all women. It's important to understand those distinctions. We know that indigenous women, racialized women and women with disabilities also face increased risk for different forms of violence. We need to take these into account.