When clients reach out with concerns about intimate partner violence, they often aren’t ready to leave their abusive relationships, said Tosha Connors, CEO of My Sister’s House, a domestic abuse shelter in South Carolina.

A person’s chances of being murdered are greater when they decide to leave their abuser, Connors said, as the abuser confronts the loss of power and control over the victim. She noted that a number of factors can complicate attempts to leave, and sometimes victims need to make preparations before they can make a safe exit.

“With these abusive relationships, there has been this history of being isolated from your family and friends, from your support network,” she said, noting that people may first need to gather forms of identification that have been kept from them, such as their social security card, driver’s license or children’s birth certificates. Connors joined PBS NewsHour’s William Brangham and Michigan State University’s April Zeoli on Tuesday, June 15 to discuss the connection between guns, violence, and domestic violence.

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