NCJ Number
66974
Journal
American Sociological Review Volume: 45 Issue: 2 Dated: (APRIL 1980) Pages: 229-244
Date Published
1980
Length
16 pages
Annotation
SUBCULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ILLINOIS RESIDENTS WHO OWN GUNS FOR SPORT AND WHO OWN GUNS FOR PROTECTION ARE COMPARED BY CONSTRUCTING AND TESTING MODELS OF GUN OWNERSHIP FOR SPORT AND FOR PROTECTION.
Abstract
SURVEY DATA CONSISTED OF A RANDOMLY SELECTED SAMPLE OF 764 HEADS OF HOUSEHOLD. VARIABLES THAT WERE COMMON AND UNIQUE TO SPORTING AND PROTECTIVE MODELS OF GUN OWNERSHIP WERE DELINEATED, AND PATH MODELS OF FIREARMS OWNERSHIP FOR PROTECTION AND FOR SPORT WERE CONSTRUCTED, USING ORDINARY LEAST SQUARES AND LOGISTIC ESTIMATION PROCEDURES. FINDINGS INDICATE THAT SPORTING GUN OWNERSHIP APPEARS TO BE SUBCULTURAL, IN THAT SPORTING GUN OWNERSHIP CAN BE PREDICTED BY USING FAMILY SOCIALIZATION VARIABLES AND INDICATORS OF CONTACT AMONG MEMBERS OF THE SUBCULTURE, INDEPENDENT OF SITUATIONAL VARIABLES. HOWEVER, PROTECTIVE OWNERSHIP DOES NOT RESPOND TO FAMILY SOCIALIZATION AND INDICATORS OF CONTACT WITH OTHER PEOPLE WHO OWN GUNS FOR PROTECTION. FURTHER, NO INDICATION EXISTS OF A SUBCULTURE OF VIOLENCE AMONG PROTECTIVE GUN OWNERS. ALSO, GUN OWNERSHIP FOR PROTECTION AND GUN OWNERSHIP FOR SPORT WERE FOUND TO BE INDEPENDENT EVENTS, WITH NO JOINT PROBABILITY OF OCCURRENCE. THIS SUGGESTS THAT THE IMPETUS FOR A SUBCULTURE OF PROTECTIVE OWNERSHIP COULD NOT BE A LOGICAL EXTENSION OF A SUBCULTURE OF FIREARMS OWNERSHIP FOR SPORT. BECAUSE THE ONLY PREDICTOR OF OWNING A GUN FOR PROTECTION IS LIVING IN A HIGH CRIME CONTEXT, THE CRIME RATE MUST BE REDUCED TO LESSEN THE DEMAND FOR PROTECTIVE GUNS. TABLES, FIGURES, AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DEG)