Guided survey interviews with 83 DVRO petitioners who experienced intimate partner firearm violence (IPFV) across three Midwestern states (Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin), examining their abuse histories and the events that led them to petition, recruited December 2023–March 2025.
All 83 petitioners reported physical violence, psychological/emotional abuse, and stalking; 80% reported sexual violence. In the 6 months before filing, 65% reported a near-lethal incident, 66% were threatened with death, 47% were intimidated by firearm handling, and 27% had a firearm aimed at them. The mean relationship-to-petition duration was 8 years, and abuse escalated in coercive control, technology-facilitated abuse, and physical violence for most petitioners in the 6 months before filing.
- Small, non-representative sample (n=83) from three Midwestern states limits generalizability. - Latine/Spanish-speaking survivors were underrepresented (8.4%), missing a high-barrier population. - Recruitment through domestic violence service organizations may skew toward those with more severe or help-seeking presentations.
Clinicians and court actors who encounter DVRO petitioners should recognize that IPFV rarely involves isolated incidents — it typically reflects years of coercive, multi-tactic abuse in which firearms amplify fear and control well before any shot is fired. Dismissing petitioners as exaggerating or misusing the system is inconsistent with the evidence.
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