The simple, surprising factor that explains America’s gun problem

[yallerdawg]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by In_The_Wind (a host of the 2016 Postmortem forum).

Research links racism and gun ownership

Source: Fusion, by Sean McElwee and Jason McDaniel

Racially resentful white people love guns
The first step in our analysis was to understand the individual characteristics and political alliances and beliefs that are associated with gun ownership. To do this, we examined data from the 2012 American National Election Studies survey. Using a model that controlled for race, age, gender, education, income, partisan identification, geography and ideology, we found that racial resentment is highly correlated with gun ownership.

Racially resentful white people don’t like gun control
We also found that racial resentment strongly predicts opposition to gun control, controlling for race, age, education, partisanship, ideology, geographic region, income and gender. A person who is very racially resentful is much more likely to oppose gun control measures than one who is not.

And...
In order to corroborate these results, we also examined the 2014 Cooperative Congressional Election Study, a survey of more than 50,000 people conducted in the fall of the election year (every federal election year since 2010) that uses some of the same questions as the American National Election Studies to measure respondents’ levels of racial resentment. We looked at how strongly people with varying levels of resentment toward black people supported (or didn’t support) five major gun-related policies:

Racially resentful white people are highly passionate about guns
In addition to racial attitudes, gun control efforts are hampered by a concept political scientists call “issue salience”: the fact that the issue of gun control is much more important to some people than others. In particular, our research shows that those who oppose gun control are more mobilized and care more about the issue than those who oppose it.

Much more at: http://fusion.net/story/324449/racial-resentment-guns-research/

[morningfog]

1. I'm SHOCKED! This really gets to the bottom of it. Racist paranoia and fear.

[Angry Dragon]

2. interesting

[guillaumeb]

3. White people, and working people generally, have been under attack by the 1%

since the Reagan years. This has resulted in stagnant incomes and social instability.

The GOP would have white workers believe that non-whites are responsible for this decline in living standards. This is called the "Southern strategy".

Gun owners have the illusion of power and safety, an illusion promoted by the media and the US "gun culture establishment".

[hack89]

4. So the NRA is not the real villain after all?

that makes things a lot harder. Instead a single organization with 5 million members, you have several hundred million white people to deal with.

[yallerdawg]

6. As you say.

NRA is just a gun sales organization.

[JaneyVee]

8. The NRA is the one stoking fear.

[hack89]

10. Not according to the OP. nt

[no_hypocrisy]

5. Is there any correlation of gun ownership predicated on the beliefs that Police can't or won't

use its authority and use of force to "control" non-white races and that the control is a duty of society? And the need to own a gun is more of a vigilante reaction?

[yallerdawg]

7. Sounds like...

that's one way of looking at it.

A very scary way...

[1StrongBlackMan]

11. LOL ... Isn't that pretty much an operationalization of the ...

Racial Resentment definition?

[rock]

9. I'm suspicious, but not making any claims mind you

The first two graphs look way too ideal, don't you think. Could the graphs be any better at making your point? Well, yes, if they had steeper slopes, but they couldn't be any smoother!

[yallerdawg]

12. Our 2016 Democratic Party Platform (Draft)

Gun Violence Prevention

With 33,000 Americans dying every year, Democrats believe that we must finally take sensible action to address gun violence. While gun ownership is part of the fabric of many communities, too many families in America have suffered from gun violence. We can respect the rights of responsible gun owners while keeping our communities safe. We will expand background checks and close dangerous loopholes in our current laws, hold irresponsible dealers and manufacturers accountable, keep weapons of war—such as assault weapons—off our streets, and ensure guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists, domestic abusers, other violent criminals, and those with severe mental health issues.

http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/dnc_platform.pdf

[glennward]

13. I guess they dream of shooting a black or other minority? nt

[In_The_Wind]

14. Locking. This forum is for discussion of the 2016 Presidential, Congressional, and local elections.