Publication Date: September 2003
What does it say?
This study found that, compared to men, women were far more likely to have been shot or struck with a gun by a spouse or ex-spouse than by a stranger.
This study differs from previous ones as it looks at nonfatal firearm-related injuries where guns have been used to both shoot and strike victims.
Both women and men were found to be more likely to be shot or injured with a firearm by someone they knew than by a stranger. For women, the perpetrator was more likely to be a spouse or ex-spouse. For men the perpetrator was more likely to be someone they knew other than a spouse or ex-spouse.
“[T]he troubling reality is that battered patients who present with nonfatal firearm-related injuries may be living in homes that contain guns that not only are kept there illegally but also may be used again to scare the patient, intimidate, coerce or cause physical harm.”
Emergency Department physicians need to ensure that they ask specifically if a gun was used to inflict injury or to intimidate, rather than just if a gun is kept in the home. They also need to ask about the relationship of the perpetrator and if they have a restraining order.
How can I use it?
This study can be used to advocate for stricter enforcement of existing laws and universal background checks that prohibit those convicted for domestic violence crimes and those who are subject to court restraining orders from possessing guns. In particular law enforcement need to ensure that guns are confiscated from those identified as a danger to women in order to prevent domestic violence and homicide. In addition it is important for physicians to better identify and report cases of domestic violence, especially when it may involve the use of a gun against an intimate partner.
Citation
Wiebe, Douglas, J., “Sex Differences in the Perpetrator-Victim Relationship Among Emergency Department Patients Presenting With Nonfatal Firearm-Related Injuries,” Annals of Emergency Medicine 42(3) (2003): 405-412
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