Racism In White Americans Linked To Gun Ownership And Gun Control Opposition

[Scuba]

http://www.medicaldaily.com/racism-white-americans-linked-gun-ownership-and-gun-control-opposition-261618

Racism In White Americans Linked To Gun Ownership And Gun Control Opposition


A new study of symbolic racism among white American voters yielded strong links between latent biases toward blacks and increased favor of gun ownership and oppositions toward gun control.

Published in the journal PLoS One, the study used voter data of white Americans that, after accounting for political ideology, income, and education, still revealed startling connections between racism and gun ownership. For every one point increase in symbolic racism — measured on a five-point scale — the chance someone had a gun in the home rose by 50 percent, and the chance the respondent supported policies that allowed people to carry concealed guns rose by 28 percent.

...

Part of the answer is simply freedom. Americans whose family is steeped in the traditions of southern conservatism tend to enjoy exercising their second amendment Constitutional right. Another is irrationality, or an ignorance of the facts. Gun ownership often proceeds under the assumption that one will be attacked. So people buy guns fearing someone else will use one on them, despite the supposed closeness of people inhabiting gun-heavy regions.

The present study also found associations in their data between opposition to gun controls and conservatism, anti-government sentiment, party identification, and being from a southern state. Even controlling for these factors, the team found racism associated with gun control opposition and gun ownership.

[irisblue]

1. well duh. nt

[Hoyt]

2. Gun stores/shows/culture aren't known for diversity.

[KG]

3. because freedom! duh!

[izzybeans]

4. Their definition of freedom is rooted in fear of the other...

It's an up = down equation. Fear = freedom.

[The Straight Story]

7. And on the other side of that, we fear people who own guns

even when 99% of them don't use them to harm others. Similar to how racists fear middle easterners based on what some Muslims have done.

Fear - both sides use it to push ideals to better control others so they won't have that fear, even when such fears are based on the very very few.

[eqfan592]

10. My guess is most here aren't self aware enough to see the truth in your statement. nt

[BainsBane]

13. Why should we fear people with guns?

They are only carrying lethal weapons. You don't see the irony that you find that strange, while concealed carry holders fear going to the grocery store without a gun when their chances of being hurt are well below 1%? The gun totters are the ones so paranoid they have to carry guns around. They are the last ones fit to question the fears of others.

[The Straight Story]

14. Why should you fear all based on the actions of a few? What do we call that.... (nt)

[BainsBane]

16. Why do they fear walking down the street?

based on the actions of a few? That's a lot less dangerous than dealing with someone with a gun.

[eqfan592]

17. once again, somebody who equates preparedness with fear. smh...

[BainsBane]

18. So carrying a gun has nothing to dear with fear for your physical safety?

What is it then? A desire to kill?

[eqfan592]

21. It has to do with being prepared for a potentially life threatening situation.

Perhaps there are some with a desire to kill, but that certainly doesn't come into play for me, nor any other permit holder I know (all bleeding heart liberals and one moderate republican who's ashamed of his party).

[BainsBane]

26. Clearly that is based on fear

If you were not afraid for your life, you would not carry a gun. In the illogic that characterizes the gun evangelist, you think it's irrational to fear guns but entirely rational to fear everyday life.

[Mojorabbit]

41. In the 80's there were classes for women here

because of a spate of rapes. The hospital I worked at held martial arts and self defense classes and sponsored shooting classes for women as part of the options,all taught by a policeman. It is weird to see the prevailing sentiment now.

[Hoyt]

30. Do you carry a defibrillator, much more likely to need that.

Besides, more and more gunz harm society.

[sir pball]

42. If there were an AED the size of a 1911, yes I absolutely would carry one.

Not that I carry a 1911 these days, just saying.

I guess I sort of do carry one as CPR and first aid cards (yes I know it's not the same, more an illustrative point), and what first aid stuff I carry...couple of gauze pads and packet of QR take up about the same space in my wallet as a condom and I'm far more likely to need the former. A firearm is debatably part of "being prepared", but it's not the entirety of being prepared by any means.

[izzybeans]

39. I only fear that they or one of their kids will accidentally shoot themselves .

My fear is rooted in losing a childhood friend when we were 20. He was an expert hunter and died cleaning his dad's gun. His parents I described perfectly in my little equation. They kept several guns loaded at all times. Their fear, it seems to me, killed my friend.

I'm not playing this false equivalency game with you for the reason I just described.

[blkmusclmachine]

5. Stand Your Grou.....

...nd

[blkmusclmachine]

6. Also known as the White Mans Law

[eqfan592]

8. By the wilfully ignorant, yes. nt

[Bazinga]

33. You might be interested in this post I did a few months ago.

I tried my best to be objective in my analysis, and the numbers really don't seem to bear out the claims of racism. Take a look and tell me what you think.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1172129191

[uponit7771]

32. Yeap, a whites only law

[gopiscrap]

9. not a surprise

[BainsBane]

11. There is a reason the NRA is about 99% white.

Much of the reason they were so intent on a Zimmerman acquittal is that they see themselves in a position where they would end up shooting a black male.

[JI7]

12. why they don't use the "he should have been armed" when it came to Trayvon Martin

and it wasn't just because he was underage because they always push for high school kids or younger to be armed.

[BainsBane]

15. They occassionally make such comments

about black people arming themselves as rhetorical fodder. They don't actually want it to happen. These same people will go on about thugs all the time. They celebrated Zimmerman's acquittal and the failure of the background check bill. Many claim one thing and do another.

[eqfan592]

19. The background check bill was opposed by such conservative organizations as...the ACLU.

The bill was poorly written, period. Not saying it would have passed even if it did address the concerns of the ACLU, but who knows. Hopefully they try again.

[BainsBane]

20. What was in the background check amendment that was problematic?

(I love when they illustrate my point so perfectly).

[eqfan592]

22. First of all, I'm not a "they."

Secondly, you can read for yourself. http://reason.com/blog/2013/04/04/aclu-unhappy-with-aspects-of-potential-r

[BainsBane]

27. I'm asking YOU

What did you find problematic. I don't care what the ACLU said. I'm asking why YOU didn't support it.

[eqfan592]

23. Well, i have to correct myself now.

It appears the issues the ACLU had ended up being addressed for the most part. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/04/15/aclu-toomey-manchin-bill-would-make-national-gun-registry-less-likely/

I apologize and stand corrected.

[BainsBane]

28. Of course, because your entire knowledge of that bill

is based on RW gun propaganda. I have yet to meet one gunner who celebrated its defeat who actually knows what was in the background check amendment. They invariably mention things that were not at all included. Somehow, they get all their information on these issues from the gun lobby rather than from newspapers like ordinary people.

[ourfuneral]

24. Well

[moondust]

25. One theory on the origin of the 2nd Amendment.

To ensure paranoid slave owners would always be able, if necessary, to protect themselves and their families from being overpowered by their slaves, and for militias to put down any large-scale slave revolts that might arise.

Racist from the very beginning.

[Spider Jerusalem]

29. Facile conclusion that omits other relevant factors.

Gun owners are more likely to be rural, and Southern or Midwestern. Small towns and rural communities tend not to be very diverse places. Less diversity means more racism, usually. You can't just say "gun owners are more likely to be racist" as though gun ownership is the most important factor in their social attitudes.

[quaker bill]

35. But you probably can say

That folks who are racist are more likely to desire and own a gun. It is a chicken and egg thing. If racists tend to very often own guns, far more often than the rest of us, then sooner or later the population of gun owners will on average seem racist.

There is a difference between correlation and causation.

[Hoyt]

31. I was banned from Gungeon for making same observation over a year ago.

[morningfog]

34. We've known that all along. A large part of

the gunners' problem is the paranoia and fear of the other (races).

[99Forever]

36. And in other breaking news...

... water is wet.

[arely staircase]

37. well this the no-shit sherclock story of the decade

They did a study that told them conservatives tend to be racists and like guns?

[BumRushDaShow]

40. Because there is a perception that 13% of the population is somehow really 80%

in bubble world, and thus fear sets in. This is probably because most of the media outlets are located in and broadcast from urban areas (rarely venturing outside the cities and surrounding suburbs) and these urban areas contain a higher % of the black population than the rest of the other areas. So this skews the entire conversation regarding what does become "news", which is anything "negative" and only in the areas that the media is willing to cover - urban.