Intimate partner violence and firearm purchasing: cross-sectional analysis of statewide survey data from California and Louisiana adults

TL;DR

This study finds that people who experience or commit intimate partner violence are much more likely to own or recently buy a firearm.

Contribution

The study is the first to examine the link between intimate partner violence and firearm ownership using recent statewide survey data.

Findings

IPV victimization is associated with three times higher odds of firearm ownership.

IPV perpetration is linked to ten times higher odds of firearm ownership.

IPV victimization and perpetration are both strongly associated with recent firearm purchases.

Abstract

To assess associations between recent intimate partner violence (IPV) (victimization and perpetration) on firearm ownership and recent firearm purchase.

Analysis of statewide online surveys on violence conducted in 2023 in California and Louisiana, respectively. We examine whether past year IPV was associated with firearm ownership using regression models adjusting for sociodemographic covariates and mental health. Survey participants were adults from California (N = 3,560), with data collected between March and May 2023 and Louisiana (N = 1,081), collected between May and June 2023.

In fully adjusted models, IPV victimization was associated with three times higher odds of current firearm ownership (AOR 2.93, 95% CI 1.80–4.77, p < 0.001), and IPV perpetration was associated with 10 times higher odds of ownership (AOR 9.85, 95% CI 3.95–25.59, p < 0.001). IPV victimization was associated with three times higher odds of past year firearm purchase (AOR 3.15, 95% CI 1.90–5.22, p < 0.001), and perpetration was associated with five times higher odds of purchase (AOR 4.98, 95% CI 2.32–10.65, p < 0.001).

Findings indicate those experiencing and perpetrating IPV are significantly more likely to report firearm ownership and recent purchase of a firearm.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-025-25361-w.