Strong evidence also supports the notion that negative racial stereotypes and attitudes are related to people’s perceptions of threat from black gun-related violence. Support for such policies is particularly pronounced in US whites who hold higher levels of racism. It has been found that racial stereotypes (e.g., that blacks are violent) are related to US whites’ fears of violence from blacks, and to their support for crime-related policy measures, such as building prisons, and the death penalty. What is not known, and accordingly is the focus of this study, is whether racism is associated with gun ownership and opposition to gun control. Similarly, negative attitudes towards blacks (i.e., racism), along with conservative and political ideologies, appear to be related to fear of black violence and crime –. People’s stated reasons for owning guns and opposing gun-control legislation are likely complex however, it has been suggested that sociocultural factors such as fear of black violence may be associated with gun ownership, and with opposition to gun controls. The social landscape has changed considerably, and most recent data indicates a quite different view on gun control by whites, with 53% of whites wanting to protect the right to own guns, whereas only 24% of blacks do. ![]() The Mulford Act was signed into law by Californian governor Ronald Reagan in 1967, and prohibited the carrying of loaded firearms in public. The response from US whites was to demand stricter gun control. During the civil rights movement of the late 60 s, black activists exercised their right to carry loaded firearms in order to provide protection from police and extreme white factions. ![]() Stronger opposition to gun control by US whites has not always been the case. However, research on the reasons for opposition to gun control is sparse, in part because of restrictions on funding for research on gun control in the US. As such, it is important for public health advocates, researchers, and policy makers to consider all explanations for opposition to gun reform in US whites. Given that gun controls have been shown to reduce suicides and homicides – arguments against gun reform based on self-defense/protection/safety are counterintuitive, and are inhibiting the adoption of appropriate policy to improve public health. Indeed, US research found that having one or more guns in the home is related to a 2.7 and 4.8 fold increase in the risk of a member of that household dying from homicide or suicide, respectively. This is paradoxical, as whites, and particularly white males, are considerably more likely to commit suicide with firearms (7.3 and 12.9 per 100,000, respectively), than die from a firearm homicide (1.9 per 100,000). Proponents of gun-ownership rights cite self-protection and safety as their primary argument for owning guns and resisting gun reform. Opposition to gun control is considerably stronger in whites than blacks, with whites also reporting twice the rate of personal gun ownership and having a gun in the home, than is reported by blacks. Blacks are disproportionately represented in US firearm homicides (14.6 per 100,000), and would benefit most from improved gun controls. Rates of firearm homicides in the US (3.6 per 100,000) are over 7-fold of those in similar nations (e.g., Canada, 0.5 United Kingdom, 0.1 Australia, 0.1). In 2011, there were 32,163 firearm-related deaths in the US, with 11,101 homicides (69.5% of all homicides), and 19,776 suicides (51.6% of all suicides). The public health importance of gun reform in the US is clear and should not need such tragedies for policy change. ![]() Several mass shootings in 2012 (e.g., Sandy Hook Elementary School, Connecticut Aurora, Colorado) reignited gun-control and firearm ownership debates in the United States (US).
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