Kruis Nathan E, Wentling Richard L, Frye Tyler S, Rowland Nicholas J
Department of Criminal Justice, Penn State Altoona, 3000 Ivyside Park, Cypress Building, Room 101E, Altoona, PA 16601 USA.
Department of Administration of Justice, Penn State New Kensington, 3550 7th Street Road, Administrative Building Room: 111, New Kensington, PA 15068 USA.
Am J Crim Justice. 2023;48(1):21-50. doi: 10.1007/s12103-021-09644-7. Epub 2021 Sep 30.
Recent incidents of gun violence have raised questions about public access to "military-style" firearms and the need for more-restrictive forms of gun control. Proponents of more-restrictive forms of gun regulation argue that such measures will help combat the disproportionately high rates of gun crime in the United States. Opponents believe that such measures infringe upon constitutional rights and hinder law-abiding citizens' abilities to adequately defend themselves. This project explores the characteristics of gun owners living in Pennsylvania and public perceptions of three different categories of gun control. Results indicate that most gun owners have received some form of training and take appropriate safety precautions with their firearms. Further, 1 in 4 gun owners reported using their firearm in self-defense at some point in their life. Regarding gun control, most participants favored strategies intended to keep guns away from dangerous and "at risk" people, such as required background checks for all types of gun purchases, mental health screenings, and mandatory gun education. However, most participants opposed complete firearm bans. Among those who are the least supportive of such polices are those who are the most knowledgeable about gun crime, gun legislation, and gun functioning. Policy implications are discussed within.
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12103-021-09644-7.
近期的枪支暴力事件引发了关于公众获取“军事风格”枪支以及实施更严格枪支管制必要性的问题。更严格枪支管制形式的支持者认为，此类措施将有助于应对美国枪支犯罪率过高的问题。反对者则认为，此类措施侵犯了宪法权利，阻碍了守法公民充分自卫的能力。本项目探讨了宾夕法尼亚州枪支拥有者的特征以及公众对三种不同类别枪支管制的看法。结果表明，大多数枪支拥有者接受过某种形式的培训，并对其枪支采取了适当的安全防范措施。此外，四分之一的枪支拥有者报告称在其人生的某个时刻曾使用枪支进行自卫。关于枪支管制，大多数参与者赞成旨在使枪支远离危险和“有风险”人群的策略，例如对所有类型的枪支购买进行背景调查、进行心理健康筛查以及实施强制性枪支教育。然而，大多数参与者反对全面禁止枪支。在最不支持此类政策的人群中，有那些对枪支犯罪、枪支立法和枪支功能最为了解的人。文中讨论了政策影响。
在线版本包含可在10.1007/s12103-021-09644-7获取的补充材料。
