Citation

Lynch KR. Violence Gend. 2020; 7(1): 19-26.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/vio.2019.0037

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Laws that prohibit abusers' possession of firearms are associated with lower intimate partner homicide rates. However, some policies are moving toward arming victims of intimate partner violence (IPV), rather than disarming abusers, despite a dearth of empirical work surrounding IPV victim gun ownership. Better understanding the value and danger of using guns for self-defense is a critical step in developing evidence-based firearm policies. This study investigated IPV victims' gun ownership and perceptions that owning a gun reduces future IPV. Surveys were administered to 215 women recruited from 6 domestic violence shelters. About 10% of the sample owned a gun--the majority of whom were white and employed. Victims whose abusers previously threatened them with gun violence were more likely to report owning a gun for protection and had higher agreement that victim gun ownership reduces IPV compared to victims not threatened with a gun. White women were more likely than non-white women to report that they owned a gun for family/traditional reasons, while Hispanic women were less likely than non-Hispanic women to agree that owning a gun makes them more capable of protecting their family. Although no black women reported owning a gun, black victims endorsed higher beliefs that victim gun ownership would reduce the likelihood of experiencing future IPV compared to non-black victims. Although owning a firearm for protection might make women feel safer from their abuser, it is critical to consider the potentially fatal consequences of policies that arm IPV victims experiencing high levels of trauma.

Language: en