Guns and Intimate Partner Violence What the Research

Guns and Intimate Partner Violence: What the Research Tells Us Jill Theresa Messing, MSW, Ph. D Associate Professor School of Social Work Arizona State University Jill. Messing@asu. edu

Presentation Overview 1. Domestic Violence & Help-seeking 2. Intimate Partner Homicide 3. Guns 4. Examples 5. Other Risk Factors for Homicide 6. Questions / Discussion

Domestic Violence One in three American women will experience domestic abuse in her lifetime (Black et al. , 2011) More than a million American women are physically assaulted by an intimate partner every year (CDC, 2003) Of all violent crimes committed against women in 2010, 22% were perpetrated by a current of former intimate partner (Truman, 2011)

Help-seeking among Survivors Approximately half of IPV victims report that the police had been called (Bachman & Coker, 1995; Catalano et al. , 2009; Rennison & Welchans, 2000). The percent of abused women accessing domestic violence services ranges from 4. 8%-38% (Brookoff et al. , 1997; Coker et al. , 2000; Gondolf, 1998; Hutchinson & Hirschel, 1998; Macy et al. , 2005) The percent of women accessing shelter services ranges from 3%-8. 9% (Brookoff et al. , 1997; Gondolf, 1998; Hutchinson & Hirschel, 1998; Wiist & Mc. Farlane, 1998). Approximately 4% of a sample of murdered women had been to shelter in the year prior to their homicide (Campbell et al. , 2003)

Intimate Partner Homicide Of all homicides with female victims, 45% are committed by an intimate partner (Catalano et al. , 2009; VPC, 2011) Of all homicides with male victims, 5% are committed by an intimate partner (Catalano et al. , 2009; VPC, 2011) Of women killed by men that they know, 63% were killed by a spouse, ex-spouse or current intimate partner (Catalano et al. , 2009; VPC, 2011) Since 1993, women have comprised approximately 70% of all victims killed by an intimate (Catalano et al. , 2009) Women far more likely victims of homicide-suicide (29% female vs. 0. 1% male in the US) The trend of decreased intimate partner femicides reversed in 1995 and there has been a 5% increase in the proportion of women killed by an intimate since 1980 (Cooper & Smith, 2011)

Intimate Partner Homicide & Domestic Violence Between 65 -80% of female intimate partner homicide victims were previously abused by the partner who killed them, making domestic violence the single largest risk factor for intimate partner femicide (Sharps et al. , 2001; Campbell et al. , 2003 b; Campbell et al. , 2007; Moracco, Runyon & Butts, 1998; Pataki, 1997) 75% of male intimate partner homicide victims had battered the intimate partner that killed him prior to his homicide (Campbell, 1992; Morocco et al, 1998) 44. 3% of male perpetrators of intimate partner homicide were arrested in the year before the homicide (Sharps et al. , 2001) 37% of these were arrested for domestic violence 34. 1% were arrested for another violent crime 46. 4% were arrested for a non-violent crime

November 14, 2011 Prosecutors charge KC man in triple killing Hubbard was sent prison in 2000 for repeatedly punching a girlfriend, knocking her unconscious and knocking out two of her teeth. He told his 5 -year-old son to lock the door before he threatened to kill the girlfriend, tied her legs together and restrained her for seven hours. Court records filed at the time noted that he had two prior domestic violence arrests. He was released in November 2009. The following year, Hubbard allegedly chased his 17 -year-old son into the street and threatened him with a knife. The dispute began when another relative told a joke that angered Hubbard and Hubbard’s sons were trying to calm Hubbard down, according to police reports, which noted that Hubbard “had a history of violence within the family. ” Police cited Hubbard with assault. Hubbard allegedly attacked Brown, 49, in June, knocking her unconscious and bloodying her mouth after she said he was “no good” during a game of dominos, according to police reports. When she tried to escape, witnesses told police, he grabbed her by the throat and said, “(Expletive, ) I’ll kill your ass. You ain’t going nowhere. ” He allegedly drove away with her and police could not find her. It was unclear why the case was not prosecuted. Police said they later determined the crime occurred in Kansas City, Kan. , and that Brown refused to cooperate.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale) July 29, 2006 Saturday Suspect in 3 killings has died BYLINE: Sofia Santana, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Pembroke Pines officers who went to Jones' Cinnamon Ridge home to tell his family that he shot himself found his wife, Shanette Jones, 33, and her two daughters from a previous relationship, Joanna Robinson, 10, and Ashley Jones, 12, dead inside their house in the 8800 block of Southwest 10 th Street. All three had been shot to death in different rooms…. . Neighbors said the Joneses appeared to be a happy family, but their closest friends said Shanette Jones was often a target of emotional abuse from her husband. However, police had no record of domestic problems at the Joneses' home.

Guns & Intimate Partner Homicide Over the past 25 years in the U. S. , more intimate partner homicides have been committed with guns than with all other weapons combined (Zeoli, 2013) Guns are the most frequent means of killing an intimate partner: 57. 4% of intimate partner femicides are committed with a gun Ex-wives are killed with a firearm in 77% of cases (Fox & Zawitz, 2004) Firearms are more likely to be used in intimate partner homicides than in non-intimate partner homicides (71. 5% versus 60. 5%) (Mercy & Saltzman, 1989) Availability of guns makes it easier to commit homicide, and particularly multiple homicides / mass violence (Adams, 2007)

Gun Ownership In cases of homicide, the perpetrator was 7. 59 times more likely to own a gun (Campbell et al. , 2003) When previous domestic violence exists, gun ownership increases risk up to 20 times (Kellerman et al. , 1993) Taking other variables into consideration, the use of a gun increases the risk of fatality more than 40 times (Campbell, 1995) Of physically abused women who live in households with guns, about two-thirds report that their partner had used it against them, most often by threatening to shoot or kill them (Sorrenson & Weibe, 2004) Gun ownership is particularly dangerous when combined with alcohol abuse or drug use (Campbell, 1995)

March 6, 2002, Wednesday, BC cycle Man arraigned on three murder counts in courthouse shooting BYLINE: By AMY FRANKLIN, Associated Press Writer Vicki Sue Keller-Wendt repeatedly asked authorities and court officials to protect her from her estranged husband after he threatened to kill her and himself, court records show. "I don't know what you can do to make him leave me alone and make me feel a little safer, " Keller-Wendt wrote to a judge about her restraining order against Thomas Howard Wendt, her ex-husband. The restraining order prohibited Wendt from using a firearm for anything but hunting. But on Wednesday, the 51 -year-old man was arraigned on three counts of open murder and three counts of felony firearm violation in Tuesday's shooting deaths of Keller and two others. Authorities say Wendt used a shotgun to kill ex-wife Keller-Wendt, 45; her niece, Brandie Lea Keller, 20; and Keller-Wendt's friend, Douglas Mc. Coy, 50, outside the Isabella County Courthouse. The three victims, all Mount Pleasant residents, were on their way to testify against him at a court hearing, according to police.

Prohibited Possessors Several federal laws (e. g. , the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, the Lauternberg Amendment) prohibit the possession or sale of firearms to individuals who: Are subject to a court order that restrains the person from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or child of such intimate partner, or; Have been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. But there are loopholes: Ex-parte protection orders Survivors request prohibition Seizure of firearms Gun shows and private sales

Prohibiting Possession of Guns Between 1998 -2001, 14% of the 200, 000 denials for gun purchases generated by NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System) were the result of domestic violence misdemeanor convictions (US GAO, 2002) During the same period, 26% of all referrals to retrieve firearms from proscribed users (3, 000 cases) were due to a domestic violence misdemeanors (US GAO, 2002) When laws are in place to restrict firearm purchases for batterers subject to protection orders, there is a 13% reduction in rates of intimate partner homicide of women with guns (Vigdor & Mercy, 2006) There is not a similar effect for laws that restrict forearm possession for domestic violence misdemeanor convictions (Vigdor & Mercy, 2006)

Grand Rapid Press (Michigan) March 6, 2002 Wednesday 'He told her he was going to do this'; Victim's parents say ex-husband stalked daughter before shooting three The three victims, all of Mount Pleasant, had planned to attend a hearing concerning Wendt's alleged violation of a restraining order Vicki Keller took out against him. Relatives said the violence culminated two years of harassment that started when the couple divorced in 2000 after 18 years of marriage. "He had been stalking her, " Calvin Keller said, tears welling in his eyes. "He told her he was going to do this. " Calvin Keller, 74, said Wendt wrote Vicki Keller a threatening letter six months ago. "He told her he was going to shoot her, then he was going to shoot himself, " Calvin Keller said. "She was scared to death of him. " At the courthouse Tuesday, Calvin Keller heard the fatal shots. One hit Vicki Keller, 44, one hit her niece, 20 -year-old Brandie Lea Keller, and another hit Douglas Alan Mc. Coy, 50, a friend of Vicki Keller's. All three died at the scene.

Stalking 62% of stalking victims are stalked by an intimate partner (Tjaden & Thonnes, 1998) Stalking may be one of the most common risk factors for intimate partner homicide (Mc. Farlane et al. , 1999) Stalkers are more likely to be violent if they have had an intimate relationship with the victim (Coleman, 1997; Meloy, 1998) 76% of homicide victims were stalked in the year prior to the homicide (Mc. Farlane et al. , 1999) 85% of attempted homicide victims were stalked in the year prior to the attempted homicide (Mc. Farlane et al. , 1999) Stalkers who also make threats, such as threats to kill, are more likely to carry out those threats (Adams, 2007)

When a woman is scared A woman was more likely to be right than wrong in her assessment of risk (Bell, 2008; Campbell, 2009; Cattaneo, 2007, 2003; Connor-Smith, 2010) BUT victims are more likely to underestimate than overestimate their risk (Campbell, 2004; Heckert, 2000) Women may be more able to take into account dynamic risk factors (e. g. , stress, recent drug use, escalation) and protective factors (Connor-Smith et al. , 2000; Hart, 1994; Dutton, 1996) Some risk assessments (e. g. , the Danger Assessment) have been shown to be more accurate than victim perception when in direct comparison (Messing & Thaller, 2013)

Lindsay Machak RIO GRANDE CITY — Ricardo Gonzalez said his family knew Lydia Pinal’s husband was bad news. The grieving nephew recalled Francisco Pinal beating her when Ricardo Gonzalez was growing up. The family begged her to get out of the relationship, but Lydia Pinal stayed with her husband, to whom she was married for more than 20 years. “It was because of him that our whole family split, ” Ricardo Gonzalez said. “It tore us apart. ” …. Piper said he suspects the shooter used a. 40 -caliber, semi-automatic handgun. Lydia Pinal’s family was familiar with the sight of Francisco Pinal’s pistol. The man would often pull out the weapon and threaten family members with it, said Ricardo Gonzalez, who recalled looking down the barrel of it once during a confrontation with his aunt’s husband. “He never had the guts to shoot it, ” Ricardo Gonzalez said. “I guess he was heartbroken, and that can drive people to do crazy things. ”

Threats to Kill & Threats with a Weapon Threats to kill are particularly dangerous when a victim believes that her partner is capable of killing her (Campbell et al. , 2003) In cases of homicide, the perpetrator was 2. 6 times more likely to have made threats to kill his intimate partner (Campbell et al. , 2003) In cases of homicide, the perpetrator was 4. 08 times more likely to have threatened the victim with a weapon (Campbell et al. , 2003) In cases of homicide, the perpetrator was 41. 38 times more likely to have used a gun in during the worst incident of violence (Campbell et al. , 2003)

November 14, 2011 Prosecutors charge KC man in triple killing Brown’s relatives, including Anthony Richardson, did not like Hubbard, Forté said. Hubbard would not allow Brown to visit her relatives, but that changed last month when the Richardsons moved to a house around the corner from Brown’s home. Brown started visiting Richardson regularly and confiding in him. She felt safe there, Forté said, and that’s probably why she was at his home Friday night. Meanwhile, Hubbard felt like he was losing control, investigators said.

Separation & Control “Separation homicide” = theorized as a loss of control Risk increases when the victim physically leaves the relationship OR begins steps toward legal separation; risk is greatest when both of these things occur (Wilson & Daly, 1993) Highest risk is in the first 3 months, and in the first year after separation, but eventually more safe (Wilson & Daly, 1993; Wilson et al. , 1995) In cases of homicide, the victim was 3. 64 times more likely to have recently separated from her partner (Campbell et al. , 2003) Women whose partners are highly controlling are 2. 9 times more likely to be killed by their intimate partner (Campbell et al. , 2003) AND, if her partner was controlling and there was a separation, the odds increase up to 9 times (OR=8. 98) (Campbell et al. , 2003)

NEIGHBORS OF MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING SAN JOSE COP SPEAK OUT Wednesday, March 25, 2015 SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) --The ABC 7 News I-Team has been digging into the background of a man who police say shot and killed a veteran officer of the force, and discovered that he has a criminal record. It isn't a long one, but 57 -year-old Scott Dunham was arrested for a violent act. Back in 1996, Dunham was booked for felony domestic violence. His wife reported he had choked and hit her in their home. She told officers that Dunham had an alcohol problem and that he often got angry and violent when he drank. The three felony counts were later reduced to misdemeanors…. "What could he have possibly been going through that would make him do something so abrupt? " asked former neighbor Vaneta Lewis. "How do you go from being a nice person to a killer? "

Strangulation or “Choking” Women who have been strangled by their intimate partner are 7. 48 times more likely to be the victim of intimate partner homicide (Glass et al. , 2008) Women who have been strangled by their intimate partner are 6. 70 times more likely to be the victim of an attempted intimate partner homicide (Glass et al. , 2008) Manual strangulation also causes acute injury including loss of consciousness, vision changes, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), neck pain, and psychiatric problems that include depression and post traumatic stress disorder (see Smith, Mills &Tallaferro, 2001)

“The children were not hurt” Research estimates that child abuse occurs in between 30% and 60% of cases where domestic violence is also present (Edleson, 1999) The majority (75 -87%) of children who live in homes where domestic violence occurs witness the violence (CWTV, 2015) Children who witness domestic violence and/or experience child abuse are more likely to experience (Bensley et al. , 2003): Depression Anxiety Social isolation Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Mood/emotional disorders Anger and aggression, including verbal and physical hostility toward other children and adults

November 14, 2011 Prosecutors charge KC man in triple killing The boyfriend allegedly shot Richardson twice in the chest and then shot the cousin, Stephanie Brown, twice in the head. He then allegedly shot Richardson’s wife, Mary, in the mouth. All three died — and the Richardson’s 17 -year-old son saw the whole thing, according to court records. The son and another person inside the Richardsons’ home were not hurt in the 10: 15 p. m. attack in the 2400 block of Lister Avenue. The killings were among six recorded in a 10 -hour span, the worst stretch of deadly violence in the city this year and one that prompted Forté to order extra officers onto the streets.

“The children were not physically hurt, but will continue to suffer emotionally” Approximately 3, 300 children are affected by intimate partner femicide each year (Lewandowski, 2003) Loss of one or both parents and attendant custody/living issues Children who witness their parent’s homicide are deeply hurt, and symptoms include (Burman & Allen-Mears, 1993): Recurrent and intrusive thoughts, images, and sounds Nightmares Emotional detachment / Anxious attachment Avoidance Chronic fear Poor concentration and performance

Lindsay Machak RIO GRANDE CITY — According to the family, Pinal’s husband fatally shot her, her mother and another woman at a residence on the 1700 block of West Main Street in Rio Grande City. The husband, Francisco Pinal, then left the home, drove to his own residence and turned the gun on himself. Lydia Pinal was working as a home caregiver when her husband followed her to a client’s residence in Rio Grande City. The woman who lived in and owned the home was in a back room when Francisco Pinal began firing, neighbors said. She was unharmed physically but was emotionally distraught from losing her own sister in the man’s shooting spree. The sister was taken to a local hospital, where she later died.

Additional Risk Factors for Homicide Unemployment Avoiding Arrest Step-Children in the home Forced sex Use of illegal drugs Alcoholic / Problem drinker Violently or constantly jealous Increase in the frequency / severity of violence Abuse during pregnancy Suicide threats / attempts Threats to harm children / loved ones