Young People's Attitudes Towards Guns in America, Great Britain, and Western Australia

Author: Cooke CA
Publication: Aggressive Behavior
Topics: Gun Carrying International Legislation and Policy Ownership Self-defense Gun Use/Deterrence
Keywords: International Ownership Youth protection right
Bibliographic information +

The author examined young people’s attitudes towards the possession and use of firearms in the U.S.A., Great Britain, and Western Australia. Data came from the Attitude Toward Gun Scale short self-completion questionnaires, filled out by individuals ages 17 to 25 years, and analyzed on three dimensions, i.e. respondents’ belief that it is an individual’s right to own a gun (rights), the belief that a gun can provide protection from crime (protection), and the belief that guns stimulate crime (crime). Americans were significantly more likely to be in favor of gun possession and scoring high in the rights and protection dimensions than were Australian and British respondents. The right to carry concealed weapons had little support from respondents.