September 27, 2017 10am – 11am PDT/1pm – 2pm EDT
Speakers:
Michael Siegel, MD, MPH
E4A Grantee, Boston University School of Public Health
Emily Rothman, ScD
Boston University School of Public Health
Moderator:
Erin Hagan, PhD, MBA
E4A Deputy Director
Summary:
The gun lobby has argued that we don’t need new firearm laws; we just need to enforce the laws we already have. Join this webinar to learn what Drs. Siegel’s and Rothman’s research suggests about the truth to that argument.
The research team examined the relationship between state domestic violence-related firearm laws and rates of intimate partner homicide across all 50 states from 1991-2015. They found that state laws prohibiting individuals subject to domestic violence-related restraining orders from possessing firearms and requiring them to relinquish firearms already in their possession resulted in lower firearm-related intimate partner homicide rates. Absent the explicit requirement to relinquish firearms, intimate partner homicide rates did not decrease.
To be effective in protecting public safety, policy makers should ensure their state laws include enforcement provisions to guarantee that people prohibited from possessing firearms do not have access to weapons.
Join the webinar to learn more about the approaches used by the researchers, insights they’ve gained, and ask questions. A facilitated discussion and question and answer period will follow the presentation.