Black Women’s Experiences at the Intersection of Firearms and Intimate Partner Violence

Purpose: Black women are disproportionately impacted by intimate partner homicide. Despite this reality, limited research exists on the subjective experiences of Black women who have left abusive relationships where their perpetrator threatened, harmed, or non-fatally injured them with a firearm. Methods: We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 29 women who self-identified as Black or African American and were almost fatally harmed with a firearm in a past abusive relationship. Results: Thematic analysis of their narratives revealed six key themes: (1) knowledge of firearms, (2) circumstances influencing firearm use or threat, (3) survivors’ response after firearm use, (4) reconciliation, (5) barriers to leaving firearm-related IPV relationships, and (6) life after leaving. Conclusions: These results can inform prevention strategies that focus on educating Black women in intimate partner relationships about the ways in which firearms can place Black women at risk for non-fatal harm and or intimate partner homicide.