October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and new research showed intimate partner gun violence also involving suicide takes the lives of nearly 20 women a month.
The report from the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety looked specifically at intimate partner homicide-suicide cases from 2014 to 2020.
Sinali Rajan, senior director of research for the group, said the cases are defined as a current or former intimate partner killing their partner, children or others, and attempting to take their own life as well. Rajan pointed out they found 99% of perpetrators were men and one in four had prior suicidal behaviors.
"Gun violence and domestic violence are really inextricably linked, and every month, an average of more than 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner," Rajan reported. "This report really then looks at a subset of this really complex and challenging issue."
Rajan noted they found states with the weakest gun laws experience three times the rate of homicide-suicide cases compared to states with the strongest gun laws, with disproportionate impacts on Black, American Indian and Alaska Native women. Wisconsin saw a record number of domestic violence deaths last year.
The report also reported survivor accounts and found common risk factors included access to a firearm, suicidal behaviors and previous abuse. In nearly 25% of survivor accounts, perpetrators were prohibited by law from having a firearm. Rajan added gun possession makes it five times more likely an abuser will kill their partner, with devastating effects on others as well.
"This part just breaks my heart, I think it's really difficult to talk about," Rajan explained. "In this work, we found that children were witnesses in nearly half of the intimate partner homicide-suicides with a firearm, and were killed in 16% of those incidents."
Rajan stressed the importance of bringing attention to what her group sees as a public health crisis. She acknowledged laws designed to disarm abusers are effective but they require proper enforcement to protect survivors of domestic violence.
"Thinking through the ramifications that this kind of violence directly has on children in communities all across the nation, I cannot underscore enough how important it is that we do everything possible to try and prevent this kind of violence from happening," Rajan emphasized.
If you are in crisis or know someone who is, you can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
