# "The number one killer is domestic disputes is a frying pan." HUH?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 24, 2004, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907 "2004-02-24T16:02:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hokienautic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@Hokienautic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokienautic)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/1 "2004-02-24T16:02:07Z")
Anyway, I went to lunch with some friends on Sunday. There’s one girl in there who likes to think she’s knows everything and is always peppering us with stories and little factoids to show off. Sunday she throws this little nugget out: In domestic killings, the number one weapon used is NOT guns, but frying pans. This can’t be true, can it? Anyone heard this before? It sounds like something that Saturday Night Live would have the NRA saying in a skit. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/2 "2004-02-24T16:10:29Z")
> [@Hokienautic](#): > > Anyway, I went to lunch with some friends on Sunday. There’s one girl in there who likes to think she’s knows everything and is always peppering us with stories and little factoids to show off. > > Sunday she throws this little nugget out: In domestic killings, the number one weapon used is NOT guns, but frying pans. > > This can’t be true, can it? Anyone heard this before? It sounds like something that Saturday Night Live would have the NRA saying in a skit. I don’t have any numbers, so I can’t confirm or deny your girlfriend’s claim. But I can say that a cast-iron frying pan, being very heavy, is absolutely lethal when slammed into a human skull. You don’t need a gun to kill someone. As any forensic pathologist can tell you, frying pans, tire irons, baseball bats, ball-peen hammers, kitchen knives, scissors, and other common household implements, when wielded by an infuriated person, can do a first-rate job. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/3 "2004-02-24T16:18:43Z")
_Frying pans don’t kill people, saturated fat kills people._ ---
**Author:** ![seaworthy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@seaworthy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seaworthy)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/4 "2004-02-24T16:23:47Z")
wow if this little factoid ends up being true, it would have been a great addition to my paper on gun control. I can tell you that in 90% of domestic homicides, the police had been called to the home at least once in the previous 5 years because of a domestic distrubance, and in 75% of them, 5 times or more. So you don’t have to worry that some day you’re going to piss your wife off and she’ll blow you away. Unless you piss her off all the time. Then one day she might get tired of it. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/5 "2004-02-24T16:32:52Z")
According to [this article](http://www.cpsdv.org/Articles/washington-area-sniper.htm), guns were used in domestic violence killings in the US more than twice as often as all other weapons combined: > [@](#): > > Guns and domestic violence are a dangerous combination, injuring and killing women every day. In 1998, 1,320 women – more than three women per day – were murdered by their husbands or boyfriends, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. **Guns were used in almost two-thirds of these domestic violence homicides.** The presence of a gun dramatically increases the chance that a domestic violence incident will end in murder. One 1992 study found that, in Atlanta, family and intimate assaults involving guns were 12 times more likely to result in death than family and intimate assaults not involving guns. Bolding mine. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/6 "2004-02-24T18:16:47Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > _Frying pans don’t kill people, saturated fat kills people._ 😛 Man, you’re killin’ me here. Can I use this as a sig line? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/7 "2004-02-24T18:49:03Z")
**Chefguy** , in the interests of domestic tranquility, be my guest mi amigo. ---
**Author:** ![Saranga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Saranga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saranga)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/8 "2004-02-24T19:06:28Z")
Would frying pans even show up in the statistics? I would think many of those weapons would just fall under the category of “blunt object”. ---
**Author:** ![Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/db5fbb/32.png) [@Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirka_T_Bawa)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/9 "2004-02-24T21:03:55Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > According to [this article](http://www.cpsdv.org/Articles/washington-area-sniper.htm), guns were used in domestic violence killings in the US more than twice as often as all other weapons combined: Yes, but that article only talks about the women killed, how many men have been killed by their wives using a frying pan? ---
**Author:** ![seaworthy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@seaworthy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seaworthy)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/10 "2004-02-24T21:09:13Z")
> [@Hirka T'Bawa](#): > > Yes, but that article only talks about the women killed, how many men have been killed by their wives using a frying pan? Very true. Most women are unfamiliar with guns and even afraid of them. They would probably grab the nearest blunt object in a fit of rage (or to defend themselves) which would probably be a frying pan, because the kitchen is where they belong. 😉 And I used to carry an old frying pan in my car for self-defense for 3 reasons- 1. it wasn’t technically a weapon, so I couldn’t get in trouble for having it 2. it was cast iron and would have really hurt to get whacked in the face with it 3. it would be the funniest thing ever to whack a guy in the face with a frying pan I never used it, but I wish I’d had the chance. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/11 "2004-02-24T21:25:12Z")
> [@seaworthy](#): > > Very true. Most women are unfamiliar with guns and even afraid of them. They would probably grab the nearest blunt object in a fit of rage (or to defend themselves) which would probably be a frying pan, because the kitchen is where they belong. Instead of a carving knife? Besides not all frying pans are cast iron these days. Mine would make a great KLANG noise bouncing off a skull, but don’t really have much heft at all. And I agree that any real statistics would just say “blunt force trauma” and wouldn’t like list the item (rolling pin, chair, golf club…) Actually, given the disorganization of my cupboards, it would take to long to find anything like that as a weapon. I’d have to swing a cat. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/12 "2004-02-24T22:17:52Z")
Huh. And I heard in sociology that _men_ are more likely to die in domestic disputes because they attack women with their fists, who defend themselves with knives, icepicks, cast-iron pans, etc. But then again, this wouldn’t be the first time a nutty college professor said something that wasn’t true! ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/13 "2004-02-24T22:20:54Z")
I thought this was only true in cartoons and sitcoms. Whodathunkit? ---
**Author:** ![badmana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/14 "2004-02-24T22:22:55Z")
All my frying pans are pretty darn hefty. My T-fal 12" pan (with non-stick coating so blood can be easily washed off :D) would make a very nice weapon. Of course I keep a aluminum baseball bat in my room for such things but my second choice would be a frying pan. Hell, it even makes a great defensive weapon. But whether frying pans are used in a lot of murders…I dunno. I’d have thought knives would be more common (lighter, more common and generally easier to find). ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/15 "2004-02-24T23:27:50Z")
> [@seaworthy](#): > > 1. it would be the funniest thing ever to whack a guy in the face with a frying pan :eek: Well, **seaworthy** just made my official “do _not_ piss off” list. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/16 "2004-02-24T23:53:02Z")
I found this in a 2000 article from the journal “Law and Order” > [@](#): > > According to the 1998 Department of Justice Report on the National Violence Against Women Survey, 36% of the victims of domestic violence are men. In addition, in 1995, the Michigan State Police reported men were 46% of the murder victims. The statistics help break the myth that women are, not capable of domestic violence. > > The paradox is that many studies demonstrate that wives and girlfriends assault, seriously injure and kill men. The fact that men are larger and stronger is not significant, especially when a woman’s weapon of choice is a gun, or death by poison. > > Women can be just as violent as men, they simply do not fit the cultural stereotype and media image. According to researchers Sniechowski and Sherven, domestic violence is a two-way street. When you examine the dark side of abuse by women the statistics are revealing. Women are involved in 41 % of the spousal murders and 33 % of the family murders. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/17 "2004-02-25T01:41:02Z")
Yep, I had a family member killed, murdered, by a frying pan, it does happen. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/18 "2004-02-25T02:06:58Z")
> [@seaworthy](#): > > Very true. Most women are unfamiliar with guns and even afraid of them. Actually, this was my line of reasoning as to why men don’t use frying pans. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/19 "2004-02-25T02:12:01Z")
A cast-iron frying pan is a formidable weapon. I’ve seen an out-of-control drunk pacified by the sight of what would, in other circumstances, be a humourous stereotype: the house mother appearing in curlers and a nightdress, wielding a huge frying-pan. He left quietly. Strangely enough, [this animation](http://www.b3ta.com/board/2791023) was posted at b3ta today. Don’t try this at home, kids. ---
**Author:** ![viking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@viking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/viking)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907/20 "2004-02-25T05:52:02Z")
Well, if all different brands of frying pan are aggregated into one group, whereas guns are separated into 1 murder with a remington 700BDL in .30/06, 2 murders with 9mm Glock semi-autos, and so on, then maybe frying pans would come up with the biggest number 🙂 See how easy it is to make stats say whatever you want? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-number-one-killer-is-domestic-disputes-is-a-frying-pan-huh/230907.md?page=2)