Over the past 10 years, the production of small arms in the US has tripled and imports doubled. However, this does not mean that they began to hold more people: the percentage of the total population for several decades does not change. A more likely version experts believe the accumulation of weapons by a relatively small group of people. According to the report of the Research center at Harvard University, half of all firearms in the U.S. owns only 3% of the population.
Who and what is arming
In short, this is men.
Representatives of the stronger sex to own twice as many weaponsthan women.
According to the report, the average American, owning firearms is a white male with a number of specific features.
Often armed family men of the working professions who do not have confidence in their financial viability, but there is racial prejudice. As a rule, these are people without higher education and most of them are not religious. By the way, according to research, affiliation to any denomination significantly decreases the probability of acquiring a firearm.
In other words, we arm people with a deep identity crisis, not having global goals in life. While in search for a way out of difficulties, they often imagine themselves heroes of any story.
Fears haunting
Studying the application for a license to carry firearms in the state of Texas, the number of which has increased dramatically with the election of U.S. President Barack Obama, sociologist Angela Stroud from Northland College found a number of patterns.
In the vast majority of cases, the applicants were white men. The main reason they wanted to obtain a license, called the desire to protect his family.
«Marrying and becoming fathers, they felt a sense of vulnerability and worried that I can’t protect my family, said Angela Stroud. For them the possession of arms was one of the qualities worthy of the head of the family».
However, apart from taking care of loved ones, the sociologist found another motive to acquire weapons, namely racial prejudice.
When Barack Obama became President of America, many white men are seriously expected burst of activity national minorities, seeing it as a threat to their well-being.
The results of the research of Angela Stroud confirmed by many scientific centers of the USA.
flickr/cc/Susan Melkisethian
Often among gun owners is dominated by anti-government sentiment.
Thus, the analysis of the situation on the arms market held in 2016 by the University of Illinois, showed that racial prejudice directly stimulate the white population to arms. Another interesting factor is political affiliation. More than 50% of the people who have guns, vote Republican — this trend has been observed since 1972.
According to scientists, for many supporters of conservative weapons — a symbol of power in the modern world of chaos.
Recently an experiment was conducted, during which Steven shepherd and Aaron C. Kay have invited several hundred of its members, which differ from other liberal and conservative views, to present a pistol and describe their emotions.
It turned out that conservatives are much more confident imagined this scene, and often reported the feeling of control over the environment.
Heroes of their dreams
In 2017, the social scientists of Baylor University Paul Froze and F. Carson Mencken observed that out of 600 respondents, their men, experiencing strong cravings to arms, 65% male, 78% belong to the white race.
«We found that white men are emerging from the economic difficulties or not confident in their financial future, belong to the group of people experiencing cravings to arms, — commented on the results of their work, the Gender Froze. — They believe that, armed, will become more respected members of society.»
Among the respondents are female and African-American race such a reaction was not observed.
Even those who survived the troubles of life, had expressed its desire to acquire weapons.
According to Rose and Menken, most of these people have other goals in life and in difficult times a peaceful resort to alternative sources of assistance, in particular to religion.
Often among gun owners is dominated by anti-government sentiment on the background of absolute confidence in their patriotism.
«These men consider themselves true patriots, but are clearly shared by the government and the nation. And, speaking of the nation, they mean the white population of America,» summarizes Froze.
The conclusion regarding the emotional and moral component of the situation: the average of the gun owner believes that with a pistol he can solve pressing social problems.
In his opinion, «armed citizens» able to bring order to the streets of the United States, to defeat crime, and improve the quality of education of children in American families. All features of the «hero», which he longs to become.
And we are not talking about the criminal — a man is positioning itself as a «good guy».
He works a lot, tries to take care of the family, but believes that there are people who want to have it all taken away. That’s how he sees himself.
On the brink
As a rule, supporters of the «armed defense» do not kill bad guys and criminals.
In this story there is one very sad trend. As a rule, supporters of the «armed defense» do not kill bad guys and criminals. Most often they shoot relatives, friends and… themselves.
White men are not only among the most often arming.
According to the Center for control and prevention of disease, white men, especially those experiencing financial difficulties often use guns to commit suicide.
White Americans commit suicide with a firearm in 3 times more oftenthan their black fellow citizens. Even more revealing is the probability of the murder of the white American blacks: it is the minimum. Baboutmost of the tragic incident involving weapons happens among people familiar with each other and belonging to one race.
Available in the house if the gun will be applied, rather against his tenants than to protect from a burglar or murderer. Often people who have received gunshot wounds or died from them, knew the killers personally.
The presence in the house of weapons in 5 times increases the likelihood of killing wife husband. Every week in the United States shot a total of 136 children and adolescents, and often their friends, relatives and parents. For each lawful use of firearms accounts for 78 cases of suicide.
The scientists who conducted mentioned in this research material, agree: America needs a thoughtful, reasonable control the distribution of weapons. The country needs lawsthat will limit its misuse. At the same time, researchers recognize that the control, even the most rigid, does not solve the problem fundamentally, because the causes are much deeper — the lack of meaning of life when the desire to resolve all issues by force.
