ABS 119: Firearm-Perpetrated Intimate Partner Homicide and Rurality in Texas from 2018-2020

Vedanti Bhargava ¹ , Jacquelyn Campbell ²

¹ Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences
² Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

Van Wickle (2025) Volume 1, ABS 119

Introduction: Intimate partner homicide (IPH) has been increasing since 2014, particularly due to gun homicide. IPH risk, and specifically firearm-related IPH risk, is understudied in rural areas, where IPH has been rising in the 21st century and firearm ownership tends to be higher. Therefore, there is a need to examine the relationship between firearm-perpetrated IPH rates and area rurality.

Methods: This study used a retrospective cohort design to assess the relationship between the rurality of counties in Texas and rates of firearm-perpetrated IPH. Data was sourced from the annual Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV) case reports for the years 2018 (211 cases), 2019 (159 cases), and 2020 (216 cases) and included male and female IPH victims in these years.

Results: A chi-square analysis was performed for each year. Results showed no significant (at p =<.05) difference between firearm-perpetrated IPH rates for rural and non-rural areas (2018: p = 0.7136, 2019: p = 0.0802, 2020: p = 0.0908). However, the difference in years 2019 and 2020 was significant at p = .10. Further, when depicted graphically, the data indicated that firearm-perpetrated IPH tends to be higher than non-firearm-perpetrated IPH in rural areas, and the difference is comparable to non-rural areas.

Discussion: Perhaps the more important issue is statewide firearm laws and policies, and how well they are implemented in various jurisdictions. More studies are needed to clarify this finding and ensure that research and policy reflect the more complex relationship between rurality and firearm-perpetrated IPH rates. Time trends demonstrated that IPH counts were higher in 2020 compared to previous years under consideration, possibly due to the lockdown being put into place in 2020, but more studies are needed to clarify the relationship between COVID-19 and IPH rates. Overall, this is an important direction in lowering IPH rates, especially associated with firearms.