Coalition for Gun Control

Firearms and Domestic Violence

OVERVIEW

The Problem Role of Firearms Legislation Gender, Attitudes, Change Implementation Issues Conclusions and Implications: for

research and policy

THE PROBLEM Women are affected differently by guns In many contexts, more women are killed by intimate

partners than strangers When guns are available they are used in violence

against women Guns are more lethal – more women die A gun in the home is a major risk factor for femicide Guns are also used to threaten and subjugate women Psychological and other impacts are significant Risks to children and for suicide increase Patterns are trans-national

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5

Singapore

Japan

England and Wales

Hong Kong

Israel

Scotland

Sweden

New Zealand

Spain

Germany

Ireland

Netherlands

Denmark

Italy

Austria

Norway

Greece

Australia

France

Canada

Portugal

Finland

Belgium

Switzerland

United States

Co

un

try

Rate per 100,000

Rate of Gun Homicides Rate of Non-Gun Homicides

Femicide WITHGUNS

WITHOUT GUNS

TOTAL

GUNS rate rate rate

LOW      

Hong Kong 0.03 0.73 0.76

Sweden 0.04 0.76 0.80

Netherlands 0.14 0.66 0.80

Germany 0.11 0.55 0.66

Spain 0.11 0.38 0.49

MEDIUM      

Australia 0.27 0.87 1.14

Canada 0.29 0.67 0.96

Portugal 0.30 0.31 0.64

HIGH      

Switzerland 0.61 0.72 1.34

United States 1.54 1.67 3.21

eg. Canada: Understand patterns 85% of women murdered in Canada killed by intimate

partners versus 15% of men In 1991: 1/3 of murders of women by husbands in Canada

with guns - 88% long guns Most killed in their homes 50% killers committed suicide risk factors: alcohol, financial problems, marital breakdown,

mental illness for every death many are threatened: broader impacts presence of firearm is a predictor of femicide, higher number

of victims, murder-suicide three inquests tell the story (Kassonde, May, Vernon)

Domestic Violence Risk Factors %

Separation from spouse 82%

Depression 73%

History of domestic violence 73%

Prior threats to commit suicide or suicide attempts

55%

Possession or access to firearms 55%

Obsessive behaviour 45%

Control of the victims activities 45%

Excessive alcohol and/or drug use 45%

Attempts to isolate the victim 36%

Escalation of violence 36%

Destruction of the victims property 27%

Perpetrator unemployed 27%

Prior threats to kill the victim 27%

Forced sexual acts or assaults during sex 18%

Isolation of victim 18%

New partner in victim's life 18%

Perpetrator witnessed domestic violence as a child

18%

Violence against pets or livestock 18%

ROLE OF FIREARMS LEGISLATION

UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (1998) called on states to “recognize the relevance of firearm regulation in addressing violence against women”

many countries explicitly target violence against women within firearms legislation

The Role of Legislation Reduce the probability those who are a risk to

themselves or others will obtain firearms Reduce diversion of legal guns to illegal markets

– raise barriers and effective prices eg. screening processes for domestic violence,

spousal notification, safe storage Implementation is key – police, physicians,

educators, shelters

Impact of Legislation Reducing access to firearms in the home reduces

lethality In Great Britain, Australia and Canada, rates of

women killed with guns dropped more than rates of men killed with guns (women more often killed in the home)

Rates of women killed with other means did not drop as dramatically

Laws both shape and reflect values: strong gun control reinforces values of non violence

Homicides of women with firearms

 1991 1995 2004

Number 85 43 32 -62%

Rate per 100,000 0.6 0.29 0.2 -67%

Homicides of women without firearms

     

Number 185 152 166 -10%

Rate per 100,000 1.3 1.02 1.04 -20%

Bunge, Valerie Pottie, National Trends in Intimate Partner Homicides, 1974-

2000. Juristat, Vol 22, No. 5, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada, 2002 p.5

GENDER, ATTITUDES, CHANGE

Freedom from fear? There are significant gender splits in attitudes to firearms

Canada: 36% males, 59% females feared “you or someone in your household would be threatened or injured with a firearm”

Support for Gun Control Legislation

January 2003 46-Firearms ownership

Non-owner

Someone else in household owns firearms

Owner

Total 55 19 7 18

28 17 11 44

45 32 10 13

60 18 6 15

Strongly agree

Somewhat agree

Somewhat disagree

Strongly disagreeQ.46 The Government of Canada has passed a law concerning the ownership of firearms. This law requires that Canadians register each firearm that they own, prohibits certain kinds of firearms, requires that owners pass a safety test and a safety check, and that firearms are stored unloaded in a secure place. In general, do you support or oppose this law? Would that be strongly or somewhat?

“While male – dominated societies often justify small arms possession through the alleged need to protect vulnerable women, women actually face greater danger of violence when their families and communities are armed” - Barbara Frey, UN Special Rapporteur on Human

Rights

Resistance Higher rates of gun ownership AND domestic

violence in “honour cultures” Link between attitudes to women, willingness to kill,

homicide rates, and attitudes to gun ownership (McAlister, 2001).

“Honour cultures” have higher rates of gun ownership and interpersonal violence (Cohen, 1996).

Men (with guns) will often resist stronger gun laws USA forced removal of any reference to regulation of

civilian possession from the 2001 Program of Action on “The Illicit Trade of Small Arms in all its Aspects”

Many successful movements have been led by women

IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES Laws are only words on paper:

interpretation and application is critical VAW is under-reported Often law enforcement does not prioritize

VAW Justice systems trivialize VAW Resources to address VAW are inadequate VAW laws are not always linked to gun laws

Courts and Community based Policing Improve implementation of laws and procedures

to remove guns when there is a threat Improve risk assessment: DOES HE HAVE A GUN? Improve community/police relationships to

prioritize violence against women Training for police, judges, physicians, educators Court watch: accountability

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Women are affected differently by firearms: at

risk from intimate partners, cycle of violence etc. When firearms are accessible they are used in

violence against women (lethality) Current constructions (conflict versus crime;

military versus non) not meaningful Regulation of civilian possession of firearms is a

critical to a global small arms strategy Gender perspective is critical in addressing root

causes, conflict and crime, implementation

Implications for Research Disaggregate data by gender Rates of murder with and without guns Review femicide case studies to understand risk

factors Explore male/female attitudes to guns Interviews of abused women (and workers with

abused women) to understand the role of guns in cycle of abuse

Explore threats to children in homes with guns Are children also killed with guns in the home? Examine murder/suicide Examine “gun culture” – media discourse, etc. Examine application of laws and justice responses

Implications for Policy Strong gun laws linked to domestic violence laws Improve laws and procedures to remove guns when

there is a threat Improve risk assessment and interventions: DOES HE

HAVE A GUN? Improve community/police relationships to prioritize

violence against women Training for police, judges, physicians, educators Understand link between attitudes to guns and

violence against women More women in policy and research Analyse results of referendum

Human Rights Obligations “a State can be held complicit [where it]

condones a pattern of abuse through pervasive non-action … To avoid such complicity, States must demonstrate due diligence by taking active measures to protect, prosecute and punish private actors who commit abuses” - Special Rapporteur on Violence Against

Women (E/CN.4/1996/53)

There is no international “right to bear arms” States which fail to implement effect regulation of firearms may be failing their obligations under international human rights law.

"there is also growing pressure to hold States accountable for patterns of abuse, such as the State's failure to establish reasonable regulation regarding the private ownership of small arms that are likely to be used in homicides, suicides and accidents; its failure to protect individuals from a pattern of domestic violence; and its failure to protect individuals from organized crimes including kidnapping and killing for ransom".

- Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Small Arms (E/CN.4/Sub.2/2002/39; 5/ 2002)