Protective Gun Ownership as a Coping Mechanism
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.
Cite this
Nick Buttrick (2020). Protective Gun Ownership as a Coping Mechanism. Perspectives on Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619898847
@article{nick2020protective,
title = {Protective Gun Ownership as a Coping Mechanism},
author = {Buttrick, Nick},
year = {2020},
journal = {Perspectives on Psychological Science},
doi = {10.1177/1745691619898847}
}Citations in this library
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