By Maeve E. Wallace, Dovile Vilda, Katherine P. Theall, and Charles Stoecker, HealthAffairs, September 22, 2021
Abstract
Homicide is a leading cause of death among women who are pregnant and up to one year postpartum in the United States. Most incidents are perpetrated by an intimate partner with a firearm. Some states have implemented laws that prohibit firearm possession by perpetrators of domestic violence and, in some instances, include explicit statutory language mandating relinquishment of firearms once a person has become prohibited from possessing them. We examined the impact of these policies on state-level rates of homicide among pregnant and postpartum women during the period 2011–19. We found that state laws prohibiting possession of firearms and requiring relinquishment of firearms by people convicted of domestic violence–related misdemeanors were associated with substantial reductions in homicide of pregnant and postpartum women. State policy makers should consider further strengthening domestic violence–related firearm regulations and their enforcement to prevent homicide of pregnant and postpartum women.
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