Analysis: Intimate Partner Firearm Homicides Increase by 22% Since 2018

Intimate partner firearm homicides increase as Supreme Court debates consequential Rahimi case.

Washington, D.C., October 19, 2023 – Firearm homicide committed by an intimate partner has increased by 22% since 2018, according to a new analysis by Brady, which was first reported by HuffPost.

According to the analysis, 782 people were killed with a firearm by a current or former intimate partner in 2022, an increase from 642 in 2018, but down from a high of 856 in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2018 and 2022, 82% of intimate partner firearm homicides were committed by men, and 70% were committed by someone between the ages of 25 and 54.

The analysis comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear argument in Rahimi, where the court will decide if individuals subject to qualifying domestic violence restraining orders can be prohibited from possessing firearms. Brady filed an amicus brief in the case, which is supported by leading national domestic violence prevention organizations.

Kris Brown, president of Brady, said:

"This analysis shows that intimate partner firearm homicide is increasing as the Supreme Court debates whether people subject to domestic violence restraining orders should be allowed to possess firearms. There will be horrific ramifications, particularly for women and children, if the Supreme Court allows the Fifth Circuit decision to stand.

“We know that firearms are the most common weapons used in domestic violence homicides, with female intimate partners more likely to be murdered with a gun than by all other means combined. Prohibiting domestic violence abusers from accessing firearms is common-sense, life-saving, and constitutional.”

The number of intimate partner homicides peaks around major holidays, particularly in July and December, when individuals are more likely to be at home with their families, according to the analysis.

Other findings from the analysis include total intimate partner firearm homicides by state, with states with the highest average number of fatal shootings per year being Texas (90), Florida (53), Georgia (38), Alabama (29), and Tennessee (29); states with notoriously weak gun laws.

The full analysis is available here.