Title: Risk Factors for Femicide in Abusive Relationships: Results From a Multisite Case Control Study

Publication Date: July 2003

What does it say?

This study looked at the relationship between the use of guns in cases of domestic violence and the risk of women being murdered by intimate partners. It found that: “Abusers' use of a gun in the worst incident of abuse was associated with a 41-fold increase in risk of femicide after controlling for other risk factors.”

Abusers who owned guns were found to be involved in the most severe cases of domestic violence. Intimate partners who had been victims of previous threats involving a weapon were more likely to be victims of homicide.

In addition there was “no clear evidence of protective effects” for victims who kept guns for protection.

The study concludes that: “restricting abusers' access to guns can potentially reduce both overall rates of homicide and rates of intimate partner homicide.”

How can I use it?

In a Presidential Proclamation released in September 2009 on the fifteenth anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act, President Obama noted that: “We must prevent the homicide of women and girls who have suffered from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.” Under existing law there is both a federal prohibition on ownership and use of a gun by those convicted of a misdemeanor of domestic violence as well as a federal prohibition under the Violence Against Women Act 1994 that bans those subject to a court restraining order from possessing a gun. 

Keeping guns out of the hands of those deemed by the courts to be a danger to women through the enforcement of these existing laws, the confiscation of guns, and universal background checks is essential if women are to be protected from domestic abuse. In addition, it is important for physicians to work towards better identifying and reporting instances of domestic abuse, especially in cases where there may be a gun involved.

Citation

Campbell, Jacqueline C. et al., “Risk Factors for Femicide in Abusive Relationships: Results From a Multisite Case Control Study,” American Journal of Public Health 93(7) (2003): 1089-1097

[931]