1. Batterers use guns in a variety of ways to intimidate their victims
We analyzed survey data collected from over 8,000 males enrolled in a certified batterer intervention program in Massachusetts, 1999-2003. Recent gun owners were 8 times more likely to have threatened their partners with a gun than non-gun owners. Four main types of gun threats against partners were (a) threatening to shoot them, (b) threatening to shoot a pet or person the victim cares about, (c) cleaning, holding or loading a gun during an argument, and (d) shooting a gun during an argument.
Rothman, Emily; Hemenway, David; Miller, Matthew; Azrael, Deborah. Batterers’ use of guns to threaten intimate partners. Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association. 2005; 60:62-68.
2. Batterers with guns are more dangerous than batterers without guns
We analyzed survey data of over 4,500 men in Massachusetts batterers’ intervention programs. Risk factors for having a gun included having gambling problems, having attempted murder, and having threatened a partner with a firearm.
Rothman, Emily F.; Johnson. Renee M.; Hemenway, David. Gun possession among a sample of Massachusetts batterer program enrollees. Evaluation Review. 2006; 30:283-95.