Julie Kafka, MPH, graduate research assistant at the IPRC
Dr. Beth Moracco, IPRC associate director
Afsaneh Mortazavi, MPH student in Health Behavior at Gillings School of Global Public Health
Ms. Kafka presented this research at the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) 2018 Annual Meeting in San Diego this week, November 10-14.
Study Purpose
By law, Domestic Violence Protective Order (DVPO) defendants are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms and ammunition. In practice, however, it remains unclear if and how firearm restrictions are included with DVPOs. This team used data from structured observations of DVPO hearings in North Carolina to assess court procedures regarding DVPO firearm restrictions. The study assessed, a) how often DVPOs were granted with firearm restrictions, b) how judges communicated firearm restrictions to litigants, and c) what factors influenced variations in DVPO firearm restrictions.
Read the full abstract here.
The following infographic describes the study and notable findings from it.
