A new study published in PLoS One and lead by Dr. Kerry O’Brien from the University of Manchester ties gun ownership and opposition to stricter gun control policies to symbolic racism in white Americans.

Symbolic racism, also considered “modern” racism, is described as a less blatant form of prejudice embraced through the approval of certain social policies designed to disadvantage blacks in the United States. Since the passage of the Civil Rights Act, this form of racism has replaced old fashioned hate like the approval of Jim Crow Laws with stringent conservative policies like the opposition to social safety nets such as welfare.

Often these policies are easily rationalized in the name of fiscal responsibility or rights (e.g. gun ownership). Individuals who hold symbolically racist beliefs can feel that they themselves are not racist, or even that racial prejudice no longer exists.

After accounting for income, age, location, political ideology, education and gender, researchers discovered that for each point increase in symbolic racism that support of gun-friendly policy increased significantly. For each one-point increase on the study’s five-point symbolic racism scale, the chance of owning a gun increased 50 percent. At the same time, support for concealed carry policy increased 28 percent in addition to a 27-percent increase in opposition to policy prohibiting handguns in households.

“Coming from countries with strong gun control policies, and a 30-fold lower rate of gun-related homicides, we found the arguments for opposing gun control counterintuitive and somewhat illogical. For example, US whites oppose gun control to a far greater extent than do blacks, but whites are actually more likely to kill themselves with their guns, than be killed by someone else. Why would you keep them? So we decided to examine what social and psychological factors predict gun ownership and opposition to gun control,” Said Dr. O’Brien as reported by University of Manchester’s news.

Interest in the study gained traction after mass shootings like the one in Newtown, CT nearly a year ago. The latest statistics reveal that over 38,000 deaths a year in the United States are gun related. Other research also shows that gun ownership increases the risk of homicide or suicide in a household anywhere from 2.7 to 4.8 times.

“According to a Pew Research Center report the majority of white Americans support stricter gun control, but the results of our study suggest that those who oppose gun reform tend to have a stronger racial bias, tend to be politically and ideologically conservative and from southern states, and have higher anti-government sentiment. The study is a first step, but there needs to be more investment in empirical research around how racial bias may influence people’s policy decisions, particularly those policies that impact on the health and wellbeing of US citizens, Said OBrien


http://www.ryot.org/symbolic-racism-tied-to-gun-ownership/453969

correlation, not cause. As one of those southern, conservative whites, I can say in my own person, that the reason I oppose gun control is strictly an anti government bias.... In a country or region where ownership of a weapon is common it is very difficult to misgovern too badly (that's not to say its impossible) Who could treat American's like Ukraine under the Soviets or Cambodia under Khmer Rouge.... could there be a Warsaw ghetto in Chicago..... perhaps, but first you would have to take those weapons... and you could never be sure you got them all.... An armed populace is the last resort against bad government.... I am not an anarchist or revolutionary in any way, but I DO believe in hedging my bets. A criminal can harm many people... but when a criminal IS the government, how many more are harmed? It is a tragedy for those families affected by crime and suicide, I won't deny, worth the cost though in making our government just a little more careful in responding to the will of the people... after all there have been no Queen Mary's in the States!

absolutely correlation

like democrats are more likely to be liberals, even though not all democrats are liberal,, but liberals tend to choose democratic as it is perceived to be the 'liberal' party

once in our history democrats were more likely to be conservative, and so conservatives would tend to choose democratic,,,

these correlations have deeper reasons, but its all a circle that connects,, the correlation, and the story behind the correlation and the social effects of perceiving that correlation

What an Ignorant Tool!

That Idiot ought to hand back his Degree!

A typical European Libtard!

lacking knowledge, uneducated, or unsophisticated


really, ? so what 'knowledge' was he unaware of,,,

please do share,,,,

If more law-abiding black Americans were armed, then they could defend themselves against thugs.

Then again, enabling black Americans to be armed would work against anti-black racists.

interesting dilemma

african americans, already being implicitly feared, taking up arms?

In a climate where just their sheer size and potential strength makes them potentially a deadly threat?

Im not sure that would end in anything but a bloodbath where African americans would be largely outnumbered,,,


Unless, like with civil rights and slavery, enough brave non African americans stood with them to even their odds,,,,

I think you missed my point... I meant that correlation does not equal causality.... and yes those same democrats that today stand as the bannermen of civil rights were the same party that once advocated and defended the Jim Crowe laws.

I agree, since grade school I have understood the idea of 'context' making the same word mean something actually quite different


and the idea that 'correlation' doesn't equal causation

but the subject of most debates we usually have is based upon things that have 'correlated' and not necessarily been proven to 'cause'

its just an interesting finding, and even the researchers and the op agree that there needs to be more work done to go deeper into those correlations,,,,

Enough non-black Americans would stand up with them.
Indeed, the same people who are opposed to stricter gun laws are also advocating the arming of black Americans so that they can defend themselves.

The problem with that aforementioned study is that it doesn't account for the bulk of the people who are opposed to stricter gun laws, people who aren't racists.

yes, I find that the problem with most debate actually, if we are to call it a problem

its that the argument can only be formed by choosing an issue and not accounting for anything that doesn't validate the perspective being argued

but that's what debate is,, people choose a side and argue it,,,

its only 'interesting' because it calls for deeper research of the issue

like when people quote numbers of how blacks are 'more likely' to commit crime against whites than vice versa

its INTERESTING information, only because it points out some interesting correlation, not because its pointing out any causation

the causation certainly is something that deeper research could uncover

Let's get one thing straight: The opposition to more gun regulations isn't a promotion of racism.

Although non-black racists may be opposed to gun regulations, the bulk of the people opposed to gun regulations aren't racists.

Another problem with that study is that it apparently uses too-narrow of a definition of racism. Are there racists who favor more gun regulations? Of course there are.

the bulk of the people opposed to gun regulations aren't racists.


how do you know this?

and the problem you mention isn't actually a 'narrow definition' as no definition was given, there was actually a point system they used that they didn't explain in the article,,,,,

People are innocent of a charge of racism until proven guilty.

Not really. Just same old stuff different day.

At best it's "white people are racist, gun control is logical and therefore right, we use junk statistics to prove it, give us some money and we'll prove it some more."

only in legal jargon

plenty of people are 'guilty' of things that they are never caught in,, doesn't mean they didn't do it or are 'innocent', it only proves that they were not 'proven guilty'

in fact, I wish we could change the clich� to 'not proven legally guilty until proven legally guilty' it would be a more accurate assessment

so I believe you are actually stating that the bulk of people opposed to gun regulation have not been proven to be racist

but even that I would disagree with,, which is another discussion for another day,,

well, in America, as American history and implicit association tests reveal time after time,, racism is a very real and implicit attitude that manifests often in negative feelings towards blacks (and other minorities)

that's truth

not all racists are scared or violent though

gun regulation IS more logical than just arming everyone and taking our chances

its something called BALANCE,, there is plenty of space between always doing something and never doing anything

as there is between having NO structure or regulation and having too much structure or regulation

Racism is the act of judging a person by that person's race.
It also manifests itself in negative feelings towards whites.

yes, that type of racial prejudice exists too

sometimes , coinciding with the IMPLICITLY negative view that 'anti white' racists feel about themselves,,,,