Citation

Buttrick N. Perspect. Psychol. Sci. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of Virginia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Association for Psychological Science, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1177/1745691619898847

PMID

32375009

Abstract

Firearms are one of the central flashpoints in American life, and yet the motivations underlying their ownership have been generally understudied by psychologists. In this article, I review work from across the social sciences to model the psychological utility that people get from gun ownership. I propose the coping model of protective gun ownership and argue that those who own their weapon for protection are using their gun symbolically as an aid to manage psychological threats-to their safety, control, and sense of belongingness-that come from their belief that the world is a dangerous place and that society will not keep them safe. I discuss the ramifications of this coping strategy and present a research agenda for exploring this framework.

Language: en

Keywords

allied field: anthropology; allied field: sociology; attitudes; belongingness; control; culture-diversity; guns; history; safety