Reference Entry
Adams, V. (2022). Gun Violence. In Women’s Health: Understanding Issues and Influences. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Press.
GUN VIOLENCE
Firearm use has a significant impact on global health. This is reflected through high rates of injuries, homicides, and suicides that involve guns. These rates, firearm legislation, and cultural norms around weapons vary considerably between countries. The U.S. is in the top 30 countries with the highest rates of gun violence world-wide, but it has the highest rate among high-income countries by a considerable margin. As the U.S. holds 5% of the world’s population but almost half of all global firearms, the accessibility of guns may explain this disparity. When controlling for socioeconomic status and overall crime rates, the strongest indicator of increased gun-related deaths is the number of guns available throughout a country. The public health impact of gun violence in the U.S. is understudied due to a 1996 law that limits the use of federal funding to advocate for gun control. From 2018 onwards this restriction has been loosened, and entities like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health have re-initiated gun violence research focused on the scope of the issue, causes of gun violence, and possible pathways to prevention.
Women are impacted by gun violence in unique ways. In the U.S., more women are killed by firearms than any other means, and over 90% of female homicides in high-income countries occur in the U.S. Women are susceptible to gun violence enacted alongside intimate partner and family violence, stalking, or sexual assault, and face higher rates of gun victimization than male victims of these crimes. Specifically, more than 80% of domestic violence homicides that involve guns victimize women or girls. Gun-related intimate partner violence against women can result in mental or emotional injuries as well as physical. Being threatened with a firearm or fearing gun violence in one’s home can have a traumatic effect on women even without physical abuse. Research also indicates that a threat of gun violence in an abusive relationship is a predictor of future homicide. Acts of intimate partner violence that involve firearms disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous or Native American, and Latina women. Research has found correlations between these rates and other causes of health inequity, including income disparities, community resources and infrastructure, and racial and economic segregation.
Gun violence against women is connected to community firearm risks. Most mass shootings, defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigations as an event where four or more people are shot without a break between incidents, are related to intimate partner or family violence. This occurs when a perpetrator uses a firearm against an intimate partner’s family, friends, neighbors, or co-workers while seeking to harm their partner. Analyses of recent perpetrators of mass, public shootings show they often had histories of violence against women as well. System-level tools to reduce violence against women can be effective in protecting all community members from these acts.
There are federal laws that prohibit people who have criminal domestic violence convictions from purchasing firearms. Another legal remedy for the risk of gun violence related to violence against women is a protection or restraining order. While these orders vary by state, they all include provisions for perpetrators of violence to surrender firearms and be prevented from purchasing guns. Despite these available protections, there are several loopholes related to both federal and state laws that put women at risk. These include the relationship definitions needed to determine if an act was domestic violence and a lack of procedures for firearm surrender. Some states or regions have sought to remedy this through various collaborative programs that ensure firearm surrender procedures are requested, granted, and implemented in high risk cases. These programs have already proven to be effective, as demonstrated by a dramatic increase in firearms taken from domestic violence perpetrators after program implementation.
Further Reading:
Carter, Gregg Lee. Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2012.
“Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.” Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Accessed January 20, 2020. https://lawcenter.giffords.org.
Squires, Catherine R. Dangerous Discourses: Feminism, Gun Violence, and Civic Life. New York City, NY: Peter Lang, 2016.