|
When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2000 Homicide Data
Females Murdered by Males in Single Victim/Single Offender Incidents
Conclusion
Many women�those
in abusive relationships, those who have left such relationships, those
who fear, in general, for their safety�have considered bringing a gun
into their home as a measure of protection. Yet, gun ownership contains
clear risks that should deeply concern women. A 1997 Archives of
Internal Medicine study that examined the risk factors of violent
death for women in the home in three United States counties found that
when there were one or more guns in the home, the risk of homicide increased
more than three times.l The increased risk of homicide associated with
firearms was attributable to homicides at the hands of a spouse, intimate
acquaintance, or close relative. Furthermore, a gun in the home is a
key factor in the escalation of nonfatal spousal abuse to homicide.
In a study of family and intimate assaults for the city of Atlanta,
firearm-associated family and intimate assaults were 12 times more likely
to result in death than non-firearm associated assaults between family
and intimates.m
Most recently, a
study this spring from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health
found that although the United States represented only 32 percent of
the female population among 25 high-income countries, it accounted for
84 percent of all female firearm homicides. The study's lead
author, Dr. David Hemenway, concluded that "the difference in female
homicide victimization rates between the US and these other industrialized
nations is very large and is closely tied to levels of gun ownership.
The relationship cannot be explained by differences in urbanization
or income inequality."n
The picture that
emerges from When Men Murder Women is that women face the greatest
threat of from someone they know, most often a spouse or intimate acquaintance,
who is armed with a gun. For women in America, guns are not used to
save lives, but to take them.
l) James E. Bailey
et al., "Risk Factors for Violent Death of Women in the Home," Archives
of Internal Medicine 157 (April 14, 1997): 777-782.
m) Linda E. Salzman
et al., "Weapon Involvement and Injury Outcomes in Family and Intimate
Assaults," JAMA 267, no. 22 (1992): 3043-3047.
n) David Hemenway,
et al., "Firearm Availibility and Female Homicide Victimization Rates
among 25 Populous High Income Countries," Journal of the American
Medical Women's Association (JAMWA) 57 (Spring 2002): 100-104 and
Harvard School of Public Health press release, April 17, 2002.
Back
to Table of Contents
All contents � 2002 Violence Policy Center
The Violence Policy Center is a national non-profit educational foundation
that conducts research on violence in America and works to develop violence-reduction
policies and proposals. The Center examines the role of firearms in America,
conducts research on firearms violence, and explores new ways to decrease
firearm-related death and injury. |