Differential indicators of defensive weapon ownership: a comparison by genderPublications received

DeJong, Christina

doi:10.1016/s0047-2352(97)00036-6

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Our two-component theory refers to the antecedent threat perceptions that give rise to the need, followed by the consequent utility judgments that motivate specific types of gun ownership as well as beliefs about how to use guns for self-defense. Our theory differs from criminological “fear of crime” theories in two key ways (e.g., Cao et al, 1997; DeJong, 1997; Kleck et al, 2011; Williams & McGrath, 1976). The first key difference is that our theory predicts that the need for protection/self-defense is driven by more than just a specific threat—the perceived risk of lifetime assault victimization—but also by a diffuse threat emanating from the belief that the world is a dangerous and unpredictable place.…”

Section: A Two-component Theory Of Defensive Gun Ownershipmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…When Kleck et al assessed the association between personal ownership of a handgun for protection and selfdefense, they found a significantly positive association with perceived risk of crime. This suggests that, in line with the fear of crime explanation (Cao et al, 1997;DeJong, 1997;Kleck et al, 2011;Williams & McGrath, 1976), the Perceived Lifetime Risk of Assault (PLRA)-the specific threat that one might at some point become a victim of a crime-is one of the factors that contribute to a person's need for protection/self-defense. Yet if this were the only reason, one would assume gun ownership to be much more reliably associated with homicide rates, with homicide being the life-ending crime.…”

Section: Antecedents Of a Need For Protection/ Self-defense: A Threat-construal Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Why do millions of Americans feel the need to own a gun for protection/self-defense? The most common theoretical explanation from criminologists is a specific “fear of crime” or “perceived risk of victimization” (Cao, Cullen, & Link, 1997; DeJong, 1997; Kleck et al, 2011; Williams & McGrath, 1976). Yet there appears to be little relationship between subjective and objective risk, which makes it difficult to understand the widespread need for guns for protection/self-defense.…”

Section: Are Guns Used—or Useful—for Self-defense In the United States?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Is It a Dangerous World Out There? The Motivational Bases of American Gun Ownership

Stroebe

Leander

Kruglanski

2017

Pers Soc Psychol Bull

122

152

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Americans are the world's best armed citizens and public polling suggests protection/self-defense is their main reason for gun ownership. However, there is virtually no psychological research on gun ownership. The present article develops the first psychological process model of defensive gun ownership-specifically, a two-component model that considers both the antecedents and consequences of owning a gun for protection/self-defense. We demonstrate that different levels of threat construal-the specific perceived threat of assault and a diffuse threat of a dangerous world-independently predict handgun ownership; we also show how utility judgments can explain the motivated reasoning that drives beliefs about gun rights. We tested our model in two independent samples of gun owners (total N = 899), from just before and after the Orlando mass shooting. This study illustrates how social-cognitive theories can help explain what motivates Americans to own handguns and advocate for broad rights to carry and use them.

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Section: A Two-component Theory Of Defensive Gun Ownershipmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Antecedents Of a Need For Protection/ Self-defense: A Threat-construal Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Are Guns Used—or Useful—for Self-defense In the United States?mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Is It a Dangerous World Out There? The Motivational Bases of American Gun Ownership

Stroebe

Leander

Kruglanski

2017

Pers Soc Psychol Bull

122

152

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“…The most widely cited theoretical explanation for why people acquire firearms for self-protection, and the focus of the present study, derives from the "fear of crime" or "perceived risk" (hereafter referred to as fear/risk), and "victimization" traditions (Cao, Cullen, & Link, 1997;Dejong, 1997;Kleck, 1997;Williams & McGrath, 1976). This perspective views defensive gun ownership as an individualistic psychological coping mechanism for dealing with the "threat -actual, perceived, or emotional -posed by crime" (Cao et al, 1997;Reid et al, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of perceived risk and victimization on plans to purchase a gun for self-protection

Kleck

Kovandzic

Saber

et al. 2011

Journal of Criminal Justice

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“…The development of the original model of defensive gun ownership was stimulated by the finding that 67% of American gun owners report owning their gun for self-defense (Pew Research Center, 2017). This finding is puzzling, because if defensive gun ownership was driven only by a specific "fear of crime" or "perceived risk of victimization," as suggested by criminological theories (e.g., Cao, Cullen, & Link, 1997;DeJong, 1997;Kleck et al, 2011;Stroebe, 2013Stroebe, , 2015Williams & McGrath, 1976), one would expect a close relationship between individuals' threat perceptions and the objective risk of violent crime victimization. This is not the case.…”

Section: Subjective Threat Perceptions and Defensive Gun Ownershipmentioning

confidence: 99%

How news exposure and trust in law enforcement relate to defensive gun ownership.

Kreienkamp¹,

Agostini²,

Leander³

et al. 2021

Psychology of Violence

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Objective: According to a recent psychological model of defensive gun ownership, the perceived need to own a gun for self-defense corresponds with two independent construals of threat: specific threats, namely the Perceived Lifetime Risk of Assault (PLRA), and diffuse threats, namely the Belief in a Dangerous World (BDW; Stroebe et al., Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2017, 43(8), 1071). The present study assessed how these threats correspond with two factors known to influence gun ownership: frequency of mass media news exposure and trust in law enforcement to protect citizens from violent crime. These factors represent social information on which people may base their threat perceptions, which could, in turn, influence defensive gun ownership. Method: The proposed indirect effects model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) over two independent online survey samples of U.S. handgun owners (total N = 1,691). The defensive gun ownership concept included measures of self-reported reasons for gun ownership, gun-use beliefs, as well as behavioral self-reports. Results: Both news exposure and trust in law enforcement indirectly related to defensive gun ownership, via their effects on specific and diffuse threat perceptions. News exposure indirectly related to higher reports of defensive gun ownership, whereas trust in law enforcement was indirectly associated with lower reports of defensive gun ownership. Conclusions:The results indicate that social information variables relate to defensive gun ownership via threat perceptions.

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Differential indicators of defensive weapon ownership: a comparison by genderPublications received

Cited by 9 publications

References 14 publications

Is It a Dangerous World Out There? The Motivational Bases of American Gun Ownership

Is It a Dangerous World Out There? The Motivational Bases of American Gun Ownership

The effect of perceived risk and victimization on plans to purchase a gun for self-protection

How news exposure and trust in law enforcement relate to defensive gun ownership.

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