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.

   This groundbreaking article is an analysis of 12 years (1976 to 1987) of FBI Uniform Crime Report homicide data which compare differences between men and women in relation to the risk of homicide, victim/offender relationship, and self-defense homicides.

   Key Fact:

   • Within the period covered, twice as many women were killed by husbands or intimate acquaintances using firearms than were murdered by strangers using firearms, knives, or any other means.

   
   

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.

   This study examines the risk factors for violent death of women in the home in three U.S. counties, and assesses the association between the presence of firearms in the home and the increased risk to women of homicide or suicide. The increased risk of homicide associated with firearms was attributed to homicides at the hands of a spouse, intimate acquaintance, or close relative.

   Key Fact:

   • With 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.

   
   

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.

   This study of assaults among family members and intimate acquaintances in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984 compares the risk of death in firearm associated assaults versus assaults without a firearm.

   Key Fact:

   • Family and intimate assaults involving a firearm were 12 times more likely to result in death than non-firearm associated assaults between family and intimates.

   
   

4. When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 1997 Homicide Data, Karen Brock, MPH, Violence Policy Center, Washington, DC, October 1999, 30 pages.

   This study details 1997 data on the 1,920 U.S. females killed by males in single victim/single offender incidents. National and state-by-state statistics from the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Report data include the number and rate of female homicides, ranking the states by their female homicide rates. Data is also broken out by weapon type, relationship of victim to offender, and circumstance.

   This publication is $5.00, including shipping and handling. Call the Violence Policy Center at (202) 822-8200 or write to the VPC at 1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036. Follow this link to view When Men Murder Women.

   Key Facts:

   • More than 12 times as many females were murdered by a male they knew (1,689 victims) than were killed by male strangers (137 victims).
   • Almost a thousand female victims were wives or intimate acquaintances of their killers.
   • More female homicides were committed with firearms (52%) than with all other weapons combined. Of these, three quarters were committed with handguns.