What is it about?

Gun violence is a critical issue in the United States, yet perspectives on the topic remain largely polarized. This paper explores personal experiences with gun violence and firearm ownership and investigates beliefs concerning the problem of gun violence in the United States.

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Why is it important?

Our study found notable differences in an individual’s beliefs about gun violence in the United States, perspectives on acceptable ways to use a gun, and their likelihood of having been directly affected by gun violence based on their own proximity to firearms, such as living in a state with less strict gun laws or living in a home with firearms.

Perspectives

Something that really struck us early on was how immediately divisive the topic was for so many; we were well aware that many people held strong opinions about the issue, but it took us aback to see how prepared people were for conflict just from the mention of gun violence. These kinds of interactions ended up being very influential on our work and we decided that we wanted to tackle the issue not from a perspective of shaming one opinion or the other, but rather from a point of view that framed the occurrence of gun violence more as an epidemic than any certain group's deliberate choices. Once we made that decision early on, we found that no matter where someone's opinion landed on the spectrum of firearms politics, everyone ultimately just wanted to feel safe and secure in their homes and communities.

Jonah Nordeen

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This page is a summary of: An analysis of gun violence: Beliefs, perceptions, and personal experiences., Peace and Conflict Journal of Peace Psychology, October 2024, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/pac0000774.
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