Domestic violence is one of those things where we can all agree to some extent. We all agree it’s bad. We agree that it shouldn’t happen. We also agree that those who engage in it should be punished for it.

However, there are a lot of points of difference.

In particular, there’s a claim that seems to say that if a gun is present, then the problems amplify. That simply doesn’t hold water, and an incident in Tennessee shows just how.

Kingsport police said officers were called to a home in the 2100 block of Steadman Street after getting a call from a woman who said her brother, Bryan Hicks, had assaulted her with a baseball bat. Police said when they arrived, Hicks exited the residence and approached them with his hands up saying, “I give up.”

…

The victim told officials that the home belonged to their dead parents and she had been staying there with her brother. According to the police report, the victim said she was collecting several guns left to her by their father when the siblings began arguing. She claimed her brother wanted her to give him two of the guns.

In other words, guns were present in the home, yet the alleged attacker didn’t use them. Sure, it’s a brother and not a husband, but these two cohabitated and there were guns in the house.

Hmmmmm.

The truth is, guns aren’t the issue when it comes to domestic violence. Everytown for Gun Safety argues that over half of all women killed by an intimate partner are shot. However, 67 percent of all homicides are from folks who were shot. In other words, guns are less likely to be used in murder if it’s domestic violence.

Let that sink in a bit.

However, that kind of makes sense if you think about it.

See, those who commit domestic violence tend to have anger management issues to some degree. They become enraged far too easily. When they do, they don’t necessarily think clearly. All they see is red.

In fact, I could argue they don’t really think much at all even without being enraged, but…

As a result, though, they’ll use a weapon that’s close at hand. Like, say, a baseball bat. Or a knife. Or their bare hands.

That’s probably why homicides by firearms are lower among domestic violence homicides than other murders as a whole. At the end of the day, it takes thinking to even remember that you have a gun.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to make light of domestic violence. It’s a real problem and one that I really wish we could just purge from our society. Yet, at the same time, let’s also not pretend that women are the only perpetrators of domestic violence. They’re not. Women might be the majority, but not the totality, of victims.

In just the same way, though, guns aren’t nearly the issue with domestic violence that many on the anti-gun side would like to pretend it to be.