The Psychology of Gun Ownership

   

PSYCHOLOGY

    When I began this reading, I was already extremely interested on what information and knowledge I was going to gain because of the fact that this reading takes a deeper dive into the beliefs and behaviors exhibited by gun owners, as well as any motivations behind them keeping weapons. Learning that cultural context, racial biases, political affiliation and anger issues are related to gun ownership was eye opening. I say this because after further reading, it is stated that "Men who carry guns suffer from a 'crisis of confidence'". I found this to be sad because it is thought that carrying a gun is seen as a "masculine duty" and can help men "address social insecurities far beyond crime". This portrays how society has built onto gender roles and put owning or carrying a gun into the category of masculinity and being a part of the American dream. Thinking about the fact that men own guns for this reason is extremely underwhelming because in the end, it has to do with personal reflection. If a man owns a gun for this reason and is influenced by this to purchase a gun, I believe they should not have the ability to use a firearm in the first place. The gun could be stolen and used to kill innocent lives, as well as that man ending up using it to kill innocent people because there was a switch in their lives and the reason why they owned it in the first place was to just feel better about themselves.