Coercive Control or Self-Defense? Examining Firearm use in Male- and Female-Perpetrated Intimate Partner Homicide

Objectives: Bridge the gap between feminist scholarship and sociological literature on gun utility by examining the correlates of gun usage in heterosexual intimate partner homicide by offender gender.

Methods: Using data on 7,588 incidents from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) from 2003 to 2018, logistic regression models examined the odds of using a firearm during intimate partner homicide for both male and female offenders.

Results: Men disproportionately employed guns to regain control when their dominance and/or masculinity was threatened, whereas women used firearms in self-defense against an armed partner.

Conclusions: The results suggest that gender-based motivations distinguish whether or not a firearm is used in intimate partner homicide.