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Why do people support gun control?: Alternative explanations of support for handgun bans

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  • Kleck, Gary
  • Gertz, Marc
  • Bratton, Jason

Abstract

Many scholars have suggested that Americans' positions on gun control are the product of culture conflicts. This assertion has been largely based on associations of gun control opinion with membership in social groups believed to be hostile, or favorable, towards gun ownership, rather than with direct measures of the cultural traits thought to mediate the effects of group membership on gun control opinion. Data from a 2005 national telephone survey were analyzed to test competing theories of why people support handgun bans. Instrumental explanations, which stress belief in a policy's likely effectiveness, accounted for less than 25 percent of the variation in support. The results supported the culture conflict perspective. Those who endorsed negative stereotypes about gun owners, and who did not believe in the need to defend their own homes against crime (versus relying on the police) were more likely to support handgun bans.

Suggested Citation

  • Kleck, Gary & Gertz, Marc & Bratton, Jason, 2009. "Why do people support gun control?: Alternative explanations of support for handgun bans," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 496-504, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcjust:v:37:y::i:5:p:496-504
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. McClain, Paula D., 1983. "Determinants of black and white attitudes toward gun regulation: A research note," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 77-81.
    2. Robert M. Jiobu & Timothy J. Curry, 2001. "Lack of Confidence in the Federal Government and the Ownership of Firearms," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 82(1), pages 77-88, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Abigail Vegter & Alexandra T. Middlewood, 2022. "The massacre generation: Young people and attitudes about mass shooting prevention," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 103(4), pages 820-832, July.
    2. Michael R. Strain & Stan Veuger, 2022. "Economic shocks and clinging," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 40(3), pages 456-475, July.
    3. Alexandra Filindra & Loren Collingwood & Noah J. Kaplan, 2020. "Anxious About Social Violence: The Emotional Underpinnings of Support for Gun Control," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 101(5), pages 2101-2120, September.
    4. Mancini, Christina & Shields, Ryan T. & Mears, Daniel P. & Beaver, Kevin M., 2010. "Sex offender residence restriction laws: Parental perceptions and public policy," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 38(5), pages 1022-1030, September.

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