Racism, Gun Ownership and Gun Control

[SecularMotion]

Biased Attitudes in US Whites May Influence Policy Decisions

Given the importance of guns and gun-control to US public health, and the urgent need for appropriate policy to reduce gun-related harms, it is vital to examine the psychological and sociocultural reasons for the paradoxical attitudes of many US citizens and politicians to gun-control. US whites have twice the rate of gun ownership of blacks, oppose gun control to much greater extent than blacks, but are considerably more likely to kill themselves with those guns, than be killed by others or blacks. While the literature suggests that racism in whites shapes fear of black violence and support for policies that disadvantage blacks, no research has examined whether racism is related to gun ownership and attitudes to gun-control in US whites. This study investigated whether racism is related to gun ownership and opposition to gun control in US whites. We hypothesized that, after accounting for known confounders (i.e., age, gender, education, income, location, conservatism, political identification, anti-government sentiment), anti-black racism would be associated with having a gun in the home, and opposition to gun controls.

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There remains considerable resistance in the US to even cursory gun controls, and the reasons for owning a gun and opposing gun reform (i.e., self-protection, safety, fear of crime) , , are not supported by the evidence on gun-related harms. Clearly, other motives and attitudes must be driving such paradoxical views on guns. Future research needs to examine other less obvious, yet influential, sociocultural and psychological influences on gun ownership and control, as this evidence is sparse. Evidence on the psychological and sociocultural drivers of gun ownership and resistance to strong controls will in turn help inform educational campaigns (e.g., social marketing) that may aid public acceptance of appropriate policies in the interest of the US public’s health, and/or allow policy makers to implement good public health policy. The reinstatement of funding for research on gun control in the US should assist in these research endeavours.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0077552#s4

[billh58]

1. Scary looking black dudes

wearing hoodies or playing loud music amounts to cause for "justifiable homicide" to Second Amendment absolutists and gun nuts.

Yay USA! -- the most heavily armed and dangerous country in the "civilized" world. We're number one in gun deaths and injuries, and damned proud of it!

[Hoyt]

2. It is hard to separate proliferation of gunz among these folks and threat of internal terrorism.

[CTyankee]

3. Secular, you are truly doing god's work here on DU!

As a family member of a gun violence victim, I want to thank you for your extensive efforts on this board to advance the cause of sensible gun laws in this country. To do that, you have to enter the nether world of distortion, outright lying, and total fantasy on the part of gun fetishists (many of whom I notice don't show their face anywhere outside of the Gungeon).

Thank you for your efforts! You are deeply appreciated!

[billh58]

4. +100

I'll second that!

[CTyankee]

5. You, too, billh58!

You are amazing!

[billh58]

8. Thanks much for the kind words,

and countering right-wing NRA lies and half-truths should not be necessary on a Liberal Democratic discussion board, but unfortunately it is.

The small, but very vocal, group of Second Amendment absolutists and NRA parrots on DU made this safe haven Group necessary in order for truth and sanity to be heard above the din of right-wing claptrap.

Fortunately, the majority of DU gun owners are real Democrats and agree with the need for sensible gun control as set forth in the DNC platform:

- Right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation. (Sep 2012)

- Reauthorize assault weapons ban, close gun show loophole. (Jul 2004)

- Strengthen gun control to reduce violence. (Aug 2000)

http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Democratic_Party_Gun_Control.htm

[CTyankee]

9. I am extremely sorry that this group of absolutists on guns is even HERE on DU. I find it insulting

to our deeply held beliefs as liberal progressives.I find it very disappointing that this was approved by the admins in the first place.

[tosh]

15. I am in total agreement with you, CTyankee

on each of your prior 3 posts!

I haven't contributed much if anything to this group, but I truly appreciate the members and their contributions.

I am exposed to so much gun-nuttery in REAL LIFE these days that I check in here often and read just to assure myself that some sanity does exist!

You guys ROCK!!

[SecularMotion]

6. Thanks CTyankee

As a liberal, I feel that we need to work toward a society that settles differences by finding common ground, not standing your ground with a gun. I'm not naive enough to think that we can eliminate all guns, but we can reduce the need for guns through better law enforcement along with strong regulations on who is allowed to own and carry a gun in public.

The NRA works to weaken our guns laws and lower the threshold for public carry to expand the market in order to reap greater profits for the gun industry. Gun lobbyists make a great effort to suppress news and information of the damages caused by the proliferation of guns. We need to push back against the propaganda and let them know we don't accept their misguided fantasy of an armed-polite society.

[CTyankee]

7. "armed-polite society"

That's funny! These people live in a strange world indeed...

And they seem to have their own "world" of "knowledge" that they constantly quote...places and "experts" no one has ever heard of, to refute our arguments. It's bizarro world indeed...

Do you sometimes get the notion that you aren't really connecting with a human intelligence when you debate them here?

[SecularMotion]

10. It's like debating a creationist. You can't debate them, they're zealots.

You can only counter their bullshit with reality.

[CTyankee]

11. I find it very interesting that so many gunners are NEVER in any thread other than gun related

ones here at DU. Clearly, they are here for one reason and one reason only: to spread the gospel of the gun. That is why I regret that the admins ever opened the floodgates to them in the first place. I know they were hoping it was for greater dissemination of ideas, the great marketplace of ideas and all that. But that's not what we really are getting.

[JustAnotherGen]

12. I've noticed this too

[billh58]

13. There's a parallel to

those who post on Free Republic: the vocal minority who dominate the "conversation" are constantly on the defensive and tend to post only about their trials and tribulations with the "antis and grabbers."

[CTyankee]

14. well, we are here to make sure they don't fool anyone.

And I take my gun threads only a little at a time, to avoid going into an emotionally bad place, given what happened in my own family...