Who bought a gun during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States?: Associations with QAnon beliefs, right-wing political attitudes, intimate partner violence, antisocial behavior, suicidality, and mental health and substance use problems

Abstract

There was a large spike in gun purchases and gun violence during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. We used an online U.S. national survey (N = 1036) to examine the characteristics of people who purchased a gun between March 2020 and October 2021 (n = 103) and compared them to non-gun owners (n = 763) and people who own a gun but did not purchase a gun during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 170). Compared to non-gun owners, pandemic gun buyers were younger and more likely to be male, White race, and to affiliate with the Republican party. Compared to non-gun owners and pre-pandemic gun owners, pandemic gun buyers exhibited extreme elevations on a constellation of political (QAnon beliefs, pro-gun attitudes, Christian Nationalism, approval of former President Donald Trump, anti-vax beliefs, COVID-19 skepticism; mean d = 1.15), behavioral (intimate partner violence, antisocial behavior; mean d = 1.38), mental health (suicidality, depression, anxiety, substance use; mean d = 1.21), and personality (desire for power, belief in a dangerous world, low agreeableness, low conscientiousness; mean d = 0.95) characteristics. In contrast, pre-pandemic gun owners only endorsed more pro-gun attitudes (d = 0.67), lower approval of President Joe Biden (d = -0.41) and were more likely to be male and affiliate with the Republican party relative to non-gun owners. Pandemic gun buyers represent an extreme group in terms of political and psychological characteristics including several risk-factors for violence and self-harm.

Contributions of Biobehavioral Sciences to the Study and Prevention of Firearm Violence: Perceived Threat, Cognitive Control, and Firearm Culture

“…Cognitive control has been specifically identified as a protective factor for violence more broadly (Paschall & Fishbein, 2002), and processes underpinned by cognitive control (e.g., behavioral control, impulsivity) have been linked to firearm acquisition and risky carrying (Hicks et al, 2023; Loeber et al, 2012). Cognitive control functions, and the brain areas involved in their functioning, are still undergoing development among adolescents (Luna, 2009), at the same time youth show a stronger drive toward immediate reward than delayed gratification (Steinberg, 2005).…”

“…These portrayals likely bias risk appraisals across entire populations. Indeed, heightened uncertainty and fear stemming from the combined effects of a global pandemic, social unrest catalyzed by the public release of videos capturing multiple instances of police violence, and the violent insurrection surrounding election conspiracy theories may have fueled the firearm purchase surge in 2020–2021 (Hicks et al, 2023; Miller et al, 2022). The research focused on how media reporting and communication methods can contribute to firearm violence, whether directly or indirectly, could guide the development of communication guidelines that mitigate these probably unintended effects.…”