Intimate Partner Violence and Subsequent Violent Offending Among Handgun Purchasers. Issue 23 (December 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tomsich, Elizabeth A.; Schleimer, Julia; Wright, Mona A.; Stewart, Susan L.; Wintemute, Garen J.; Kagawa, Rose M. C.
• Is Part Of: Journal of interpersonal violence. Volume 37:Issue 23/24(2022)
• Page Start: NP21447
• Page End: NP21475
• Publication Date: 2022-12
• Subjects: domestic violence -- batterers -- community violence; Violence -- Periodicals; Sex crimes -- Periodicals; Violence -- Périodiques; Crimes sexuels -- Périodiques; 364.15
• DOI: 10.1177/08862605211057268
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0886-2605

Abstract

Perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) often reoffend, and firearm access increases risk of severe injury or fatality. Prior research identifies an association between a history of violent misdemeanor convictions among handgun purchasers and increased risk of subsequent arrest for a violent crime; the risk associated specifically with an IPV criminal history remains largely unexplored. The current study examined a cohort of 76, 311 California adults who legally purchased a handgun in 2001 and followed them through 2013. Compared with purchasers who had no criminal history at the time of purchase, those with a history of only IPV ( n = 178) charges were at increased risk of subsequent arrest for a violent Crime Index crime (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault; adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4–5.1), any violent crime (AHR, 3.2; 95% CI: 2.0–5.1), and an IPV crime (AHR, 5.2; 95% CI: 3.0–9.0). Purchasers with both IPV and non-IPV charges demonstrated the greatest risk of re-arrest relative to those with no criminal history. Despite the strength of the relationship between IPV and subsequent arrest, a small proportion of handgun purchasers with an IPV criminal history were re-arrested for firearm violence crimes, limiting application for risk assessment purposes. Results affirm prior research identifying IPV as a risk factor for future offending.