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Racism, Gun Ownership and Gun Control: Biased Attitudes in US Whites May Influence Policy Decisions

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  • Kerry O’Brien
  • Walter Forrest
  • Dermot Lynott
  • Michael Daly

Abstract

Objective: Racism is related to policies preferences and behaviors that adversely affect blacks and appear related to a fear of blacks (e.g., increased policing, death penalty). This study examined whether racism is also related to gun ownership and opposition to gun controls in US whites. Method: The most recent data from the American National Election Study, a large representative US sample, was used to test relationships between racism, gun ownership, and opposition to gun control in US whites. Explanatory variables known to be related to gun ownership and gun control opposition (i.e., age, gender, education, income, conservatism, anti-government sentiment, southern vs. other states, political identification) were entered in logistic regression models, along with measures of racism, and the stereotype of blacks as violent. Outcome variables included; having a gun in the home, opposition to bans on handguns in the home, support for permits to carry concealed handguns. Results: After accounting for all explanatory variables, logistic regressions found that for each 1 point increase in symbolic racism there was a 50% increase in the odds of having a gun at home. After also accounting for having a gun in the home, there was still a 28% increase in support for permits to carry concealed handguns, for each one point increase in symbolic racism. The relationship between symbolic racism and opposition to banning handguns in the home (OR1.27 CI 1.03,1.58) was reduced to non-significant after accounting for having a gun in the home (OR1.17 CI.94,1.46), which likely represents self-interest in retaining property (guns). Conclusions: Symbolic racism was related to having a gun in the home and opposition to gun control policies in US whites. The findings help explain US whites’ paradoxical attitudes towards gun ownership and gun control. Such attitudes may adversely influence US gun control policy debates and decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Kerry O’Brien & Walter Forrest & Dermot Lynott & Michael Daly, 2013. "Racism, Gun Ownership and Gun Control: Biased Attitudes in US Whites May Influence Policy Decisions," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(10), pages 1-10, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0077552
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077552
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    3. Christine Neill, 2010. "Do Gun Buybacks Save Lives? Evidence from Panel Data," American Law and Economics Review, American Law and Economics Association, vol. 12(2), pages 462-508.
    4. Sears, David O. & Laar, Colette van & Carillo, Mary & Kosterman, Rick, 1997. "Is It Really Racism? The Origins of White Americans' Opposition to Race-Targeted Policies," Institute for Social Science Research, Working Paper Series qt00j4p6z2, Institute for Social Science Research, UCLA.
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    2. Hannan, Kellie & Cullen, Francis T. & Butler, Leah C. & Graham, Amanda & Burton, Alexander L. & Burton, Velmer S. Jr., 2020. "Racial Sympathy and Support for Capital Punishment: A Case Study in Concept Transfer," SocArXiv xybj9, Center for Open Science.
    3. Haner, Murat & Sloan, Melissa M. & Pickett, Justin T. & Cullen, Francis T. & Jonson, Cheryl Lero, 2024. "Public support for safe-storage laws: White nationalism and politics as barriers to evidence-based gun policy," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    4. Christopher G. Ellison & Margaret S. Kelley & David Leal & Pablo E. Gonzalez, 2022. "How do veterans view gun policies? Evidence from the Guns in American Life Survey," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 103(3), pages 752-768, May.
    5. 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.
    6. Joseph M. Pierre, 2019. "The psychology of guns: risk, fear, and motivated reasoning," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-7, December.
    7. Xavier Medina Vidal & Rocío A. Páez & Todd G. Shields, 2022. "Identity and the racialized politics of violence in gun regulation policy preferences," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 103(6), pages 1342-1358, November.

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