Women who experience abuse are five times more likely to be killed if their partner has access to a gun. However, a gun never needs to be fired to entrap and terrorize a victim of intimate partner violence. On this episode we look at the relationship between firearms, domestic violence, and coercive control—a form of relationship abuse in which a woman is threatened, surveilled, and degraded by her male intimate partner. We speak to Dr. Susan B. Sorenson about her research on non-fatal gun use, coercive control, and how policy change can help keep guns out of the hands of abusers. Listen to learn more about how guns impact women’s lives, not just their deaths.

SP2 Expert:Susan Sorenson https://www.sp2.upenn.edu/people/view/susan-b-sorenson/

Other Resources to Learn More & Find Ways to Get Involved:Philadelphia Domestic Violence Hotline (PDVH)1-866-723-3014

National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233

National Domestic Violence Chatline Thehotline.org

Ortner Center on Violence and Abuse in Relationshipshttp://ortnercenter.org

The Cycle of Abuse and Why It’s So Difficult to Leave http://www.womenagainstabuse.org/education-resources/learn-about-abuse/why-its-so-difficult-to-leave

“Understanding Coercive Control with Professor Evan Stark” from Police and Crime Commissioner for Surreyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RCEQpIot34&t=156s

VAWA Reauthorization Bill https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/6545/

Domestic Violence and Firearms: Sate and federal laws from Giffords Law Centerhttp://lawcenter.giffords.org/gun-laws/policy-areas/who-can-have-a-gun/domestic-violence-firearms/

Lutheran Settlement House (Part of the PDVH) https://www.lutheransettlement.org/bdvp/

Congreso (Part of the PDVH)http://www.congreso.net/services/health-promotion-and-wellness/domestic-violence/

Women in Transition (Part of the PDVH) http://www.helpwomen.org