According to a report from Sports Illustrated, at least seven NFL players have gotten rid of their personal firearms following this month’s horrific episode when Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot his girlfriend dead, then turned the gun on himself.
One player reportedly turned in multiple weapons to his franchise’s security detail, “telling his team’s personnel that he didn’t trust himself with the guns.”
Firearms have again entered the public debate after the Belcher tragedy, with normally-non-controversial commentators like Bob Costas noting correctly that if the linebacker hadn’t possessed a gun, “he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.”
Studies show that having a gun in the home increases the chances of homicide two to three times, and gun death rates are seven times higher in states with high household gun ownership rates. The presence of a firearm in the home also increases the risk of homicide for women by five times and two-thirds of women killed with guns each year die in domestic disputes.