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EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF STATE LAWS THAT REGULATE ACCESS TO FIREARMS FOR PERPETRATORS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES
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2025-08
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Public Health
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https://doi.org/10.34944/r102-zp59
Abstract
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a preventable public health issue that affects more than 12 million people in the United States (US) each year. IPV includes acts of physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, and psychological abuse or aggression by current or former intimate partners in heterosexual or same-sex relationships and does not require sexual intimacy. All genders experience IPV; however, the immense burden of victimization is borne by women. Although IPV affects women across all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, historically marginalized groups face the highest risks.
Women are disproportionately impacted in terms of prevalence, economic cost, and negative health outcomes, including chronic reproductive issues, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, health-risk behaviors, serious physical injuries, and death. Intimate partner homicide (IPH), the most severe consequence of IPV, often involves firearms, which are used in over 60% of all IPH incidents. Women represent the majority of IPH victims, with more than 50% of all female homicides committed by current or former partners, over half of which involve firearms. Mere access to a firearm in an IPV relationship can substantially increase the risk of severe physical injury and death.
Firearm-related morbidity and mortality are not occurring randomly across the US. Instead, this violence is concentrated where firearm ownership is most prevalent and firearm laws are least restrictive, indicating the potential for law to serve as a layer of protection for IPV survivors. Laws that restrict IPV perpetrators from purchasing and possessing firearms constitute a critical policy tool intended to prevent harm and save lives. The overall effectiveness of these legal interventions in research and practice is understudied. To address this gap, this dissertation examined two civil legal interventions that limit firearm access for perpetrators who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders (DVROs) and temporary restraining orders (TROs), collectively referred to as “firearm prohibitor” laws.
Guided by one central research question and using a mixed-methods approach grounded in a legal epidemiology framework, this study explored state firearm prohibitor laws and assessed their impact and reach to inform prevention and harm reduction efforts. A groundwork study—involving the creation of a longitudinal dataset of federal and state firearm prohibitor laws across all 50 states and the District of Columbia from January 1, 1991, to January 1, 2016—informed the overall design of the following three research aims:
Aim 1: Examine the breadth and depth of firearm prohibitor laws across the United States over time by developing a comprehensive, longitudinal dataset of statutes and regulations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia from January 1, 2014, to January 1, 2020, using policy surveillance.
Aim 2: Evaluate the impact of firearm prohibitor laws on firearm-related intimate partner homicides across 48 states and the District of Columbia from 2015 to 2020.
Aim 3: Identify and explore the perceptions of individuals working in the field of IPV regarding firearm prohibitor laws and their implementation in practice, using qualitative focus group methodology.
This work offered an unprecedented, nationwide understanding of the evolving landscape of legal protections for IPV survivors and firearm restrictions for perpetrators across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, spanning nearly three decades (1991–2020). It untangled complex legal variation and provided a robust, longitudinal dataset that will serve as a foundational resource for future research, policy, and practice. Between 1991 and 2020, 42 states enacted firearm prohibitions through DVROs (42 states) and TROs (20 states), or both (20 states). However, across the 42 states, the scope and strength of protection varied. States were categorized into six levels—comprehensive, strong, moderate, limited, minimal, and none—based on existing evidence related to specific combinations of legal features, allowing for meaningful comparisons and analyses. An evaluation from 2015 to 2020 found that comprehensive DVRO firearm prohibitor laws—which included provisions for firearm relinquishment and removal—and TRO firearm prohibitor laws were associated with a statistically significant reduction in the risk of firearm-related IPH, highlighting the life-saving potential of disarming perpetrators through nuanced legal frameworks. Beyond simply measuring and evaluating the laws, this research also investigated how these laws functioned in practice, revealing key structural and systemic barriers to implementation and enforcement, and offering actionable solutions to strengthen legal protections across states with varying levels of protection. The findings suggested that while firearm prohibitor laws had the potential to save lives, that potential could only be realized if their implementation and enforcement practices were clearly understood, adequately resourced, and consistently prioritized.
Together, these studies underscore the fragmented legal landscape governing firearms and IPV in the US, resulting in unequal protections for survivors—determined not by need, but by where they happen to live. Collectively, this research provides survivors, advocates, policymakers, public health practitioners, and researchers with critical insights into how these laws function—and how they can be strengthened—to enhance survivor safety and reduce firearm-related harm nationwide.
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