This list is meant to provide context for anyone interested in the Rahimi case and was inspired by the Gender Equity Initiative’s March 6, 2024 program: The Right to Own Guns v The Right to Protection from Domestic Violence: A Discussion on the United States v Rahimi Supreme Court Case.
Rahimi challenges a federal law that prohibits anyone subject to a restraining order from owning a gun and will be decided by the Supreme Court this term.
Content warning: These readings involve discussion of intimate partner violence.
If you want background information:
Read a preview of the case from SCOTUSBlog for the facts of the case and a preview of the arguments both sides will make. SCOTUSBlog also has a summary of oral arguments that took place in November.
If you’re looking for articles written for a popular audience:
The Trace: Dangerous Homes: Guns and Domestic Violence Exact a Deadly Toll on Kids, March 28, 2023
Everytown for Gun Safety: Guns and Violence Against Women: America’s Uniquely Lethal Intimate Partner Violence Problem, last updated April 10, 2023
If you prefer podcasts:
1A (NPR): What United States Vs. Rahimi Could Mean for Gun Rights of Domestic Abusers, Nov. 24, 2023
The Lawfare Podcast: Amanda Tyler on Rahimi and Taking Guns Away from Loyalists, Dec. 27, 2023
Amicus (Slate): The Right to Bear Arms and Terrorize Your Partner, Nov. 4, 2023
If you want reports from advocacy groups:
Brady: United Against Gun Violence, “Beyond Bullet Wounds: Guns in the Hands of Domestic Abusers,” 2021.
Giffords Law Center, “The Devastating Toll of Gun Violence on Women and Girls,” 2023
If you want to dive into the public health literature:
Sorenson, Susan B., and Rebecca A. Schut. “Nonfatal Gun Use in Intimate Partner Violence: A Systematic Review of the Literature.” Trauma, Violence & Abuse, vol. 19, no. 4, 2018, pp. 431–42, https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838016668589.
Spencer, Chelsea M., and Sandra M. Stith. “Risk Factors for Male Perpetration and Female Victimization of Intimate Partner Homicide: A Meta-Analysis.” Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, vol. 21, no. 3, 2020, pp. 527–40, https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838018781101.
Zeoli, April M., and Amy Bonomi. “Pretty in Pink? Firearm Hazards for Domestic Violence Victims.” Women’s Health Issues, vol. 25, no. 1, 2015, pp. 3–5, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2014.09.005.
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