Representative Adriano Espaillat Introduces Resolution to Honor the Life of Gladys Ricart and Combat Intimate Partner Firearm Violence

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) re-introduced his resolution honoring the life of Gladys Ricart, whose life was taken tragically on her wedding day at hands of an ex-partner with a firearm. The Gladys Ricart Resolution resolves to address the prevalence of domestic violence and intimate partner violence in the United States, and its direct connection to the nation’s gun violence epidemic. Espaillat first introduced the resolution during the 117th Congress, garnering support from national programs designed to end domestic violence and from prominent gun violence prevention organizations like GIFFORDS.

“Gladys was a beloved member of our community, and her life was taken from us far too soon,” said Rep. Espaillat. “This resolution is an important step towards ensuring that her memory is preserved as we work to combat domestic violence and intimate partner abuse—especially that which occurs at the hands of a firearm. One in three women will experience sexual or domestic abuse during their lifetime and the statistics amongst trans women and women of color are considerably higher. Each month in the United States, 57 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner, underscoring the clear need for Congress to protect and empower women experiencing trauma, the need to address our nation’s gun violence crisis, and the need for further action to support victims of domestic violence and intimate partner abuse. Gladys Ricart’s life and legacy has had a profound and enduring influence throughout New York’s 13th congressional district and beyond, and I am proud to reintroduce this resolution calling on Congress to act to honor Gladys’s legacy.”

“Gun violence in all of its forms takes an enormous toll on women, and women are also particularly impacted by the intersection of guns and domestic violence. Women in the United States are 21 times more likely to die from gun violence. This Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we applaud Representative Espaillat for introducing this resolution recognizing the need to pass gun safety laws which help protect women from gun violence and honoring the legacy of Gladys Ricart and all victims of gun violence,” said Adzi Vokhiwa, GIFFORDS Federal Affairs Director.

The pervasiveness of intimate partner violence with a firearm is staggering and has affected millions upon millions of women in the United States. According to the most recently available data on this issue, nearly 70% of mass shootings between 2014 and 2019 involved domestic or intimate partner abuse. This is of serious concern, as mass shootings that involve domestic or intimate partner violence are also 21% more fatal. As called for in Rep. Espaillat’s resolution, these alarming facts warrant immediate Congressional recognition and action.

Click here to read Espaillat’s Gladys Ricart Resolution in its entirety.

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 118th Congress. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Rep. Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov