Firearms Homicide and Domestic Violence

1. Men, Women, and Murder: Gender-Specific Differences in Rates of Fatal Violence and Victimization, Arthur L. Kellermann, MD, MPH, and James A. Mercy, PhD, The Journal of Trauma, Vol. 33, No. 1, July 1992, pp. 1-5.

   Key Statistic: A 1976 to 1987 analysis of Federal Bureau of Investigation data reveals that more than twice as many women were shot and killed by their husband or intimate acquaintance than were murdered by strangers using firearms, knives, or any other means.

   This article reports on a 12-year analysis of Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reports homicide data for the years 1976 to 1987. It compares differences among men and women by: the risk of homicide; victim/offender relationship; and, self-defense homicides.

2. Risk Factors for Violent Death of Women in the Home, James E. Bailey, MD, MPH; Arthur L. Kellermann, MD, MPH; et al, Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 157, April 14, 1997, pp. 777-782.

   Key Statistics: When there were one or more guns in the home the risk of suicide among women increased nearly five times and the risk of homicide increased more than three times. The increased risk of homicide associated with firearms was attributable to homicides at the hands of a spouse, intimate acquaintance, or close relative.

   This study examines the risk factors for violent death of women in the home in three U.S. counties, and assesses the association between domestic violence or keeping firearms and homicide or suicide in the home.

3. Weapon Involvement and Injury Outcomes in Family and Intimate Assaults, Linda E. Saltzman, PhD; James A. Mercy, PhD; et al, JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), Vol. 267, No. 22, June 10, 1992, pp. 3043-3047.

   Key Statistic: In a study of family and intimate assaults in the city of Atlanta, Georgia in 1984, firearm-associated family and intimate assaults were 12 times more likely to result in death than non-firearm associated assaults between family and intimates.

   This study compares the risk of death and the risk of nonfatal injury during firearm associated family and intimate assaults with the risks during non-firearm associated family and intimate assaults.