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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    Domestic Violence, Intimate Partner Violence & Firearms

    Definition: A pattern of coercive, controlling behavior that can include physical abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, sexual abuse, or financial abuse (using money and financial tools to exert control). (NNEDV)

    The lethal intersections of firearms with domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) are clear. Firearms are the most common method in domestic violence homicides; according to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV), in 2024, two-thirds of domestic violence homicides involved a gun. Research has also shown that homicide is now a leading cause of death for pregnant and postpartum women in the U.S. 

    Pennsylvania is one of 29 states that requires individuals to relinquish weapons, including firearms, if they have a protection order against them or are convicted of a domestic violence crime. Since Act 79 of 2018 took effect in 2018, analyses of the state’s Protection from Abuse Database (PFAD) s show increases in weapons cautions and relinquishment orders. This research, along with preliminary findings from an ongoing qualitative research study conducted by Temple University, suggests there is significant variability in local implementation policies and protocols across Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. 

    PCCD’s Victims’ Services Advisory Committee (VSAC) and the Office of Victims’ Services (OVS) has supported a number of initiatives to support DV and IPV survivors and the organizations who serve them, in collaboration with statewide coalitions and other partners. In addition, the Office of Gun Violence Prevention recently launched an Executive Committee and an underlying Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner Violence Subcommittee to focus on and further define this issue as it intersects with gun violence as well as identify recommendations for state and local leaders. 

    • OGVP DV & IPV Subcommittee [LINK - to be created under OGVP subpage] 

    • Sign up for updates from the OGVP [LINK - Microsoft Forms]

    2/3 of Domestic Violence Homicides Involved a Gun in 2024

    march 2026-28 (4).png

    Firearms Have Remained the Leading Method in Domestic Violence  Homicides for Over a Decade

    Firearms account for roughly 55–75% of domestic violence homicides most years.

    100% stacked bar chart showing the percent of domestic violence homicide victims killed with firearms versus other means in Pennsylvania from 2014 to 2024. In every year, firearms account for more than half of deaths. The share peaks in 2023 at roughly three-quarters of cases and declines slightly in 2024.

    In 2024, 66% of domestic violence homicide victims were killed with firearms.
    Data Source: PCDAV Annual Fatality Reports

    2024

    106 Domestic Violence Homicide Victims Down from 119 in 2023
    66% of Domestic Violence Homicide Victims were Killed with a Firearm Down from 77% in 2023

    2025

    Note: Data was sourced from the Pennsylvania State Police using the Protection from Abuse Database on 1/15/2026 and is subject to change as additional data is reported. Does not include data from Philadelphia and Lehigh counties.

    53 Pennsylvania Counties Implementing the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) There are 67 counties in Pennsylvania
    53% of Final PFA Orders that Include an Order to Relinquish Weapons An increase from 45% in 2021
    5,384 PFA Orders with Weapons Relinquishment Orders An increase from 4,829 in 2021
    75% of Relinquishment Orders with Confirmed Weapon Retrieval A decrease from 83% in 2021

    Resources & Tools

    • PCCD Office of Victims’ Services administers Pennsylvania’s Victim’s Compensation Assistance Program (VCAP) and provides financial support, technical assistance, and training to Pennsylvania’s local victim services programs serving crime victims in their community, including DV and IPV survivors. 

    • Since 2012, PCCD has partnered with PCADV to increase adoption of the evidence-based Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) model across Pennsylvania. Currently, there are 48 programs partnering with 467 police departments to implement LAP across 51 counties. LAP implementation is an eligible activity under multiple PCCD funding streams, including STOP VAWA formula grants, Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP), VIP grants, and more. 

    • Researchers at PCCD have partnered with the Office of Victims’ Services (OVS) to complete a quantitative analysis of weapons relinquishment data from Pennsylvania State Police’s Protection From Abuse Database (PFAD). PCCD also recently awarded a SCIP-funded grant to Temple University to complete a comprehensive qualitative study of Act 79 implementation within a set of representative counties. 

    • Commonwealth of PA - Discover State Grants 

    • PCCD Office of Victims’ Services (OVS) Funding webpage provides information on federal and state funding streams supporting victim services, including federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grants, state Rights and Services Act (RASA) and Victims of Juvenile Offenders (VOJO) funding, and the Local Victim Services Fund. 

    • PCCD’s Gun Violence Grants & Funding webpage highlights funding programs administered by PCCD supporting a wide range of programs addressing community violence and prevention efforts across PA, including reducing domestic violence and intimate partner violence homicides.