NCJ Number
118643
Journal
Justice Professional Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1989) Pages: 42-52
Date Published
1989
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This research was designed to measure personal approval of firearms for self-protection among a sample of district and superior court judges from a southeastern State.
Abstract
Fear of crime often pushes individuals to seek protection from victimization. One response to such fear is the purchase of a firearm for home, family, and self protection. Specifically, this report attempts to answer questions, such as what proportion of judges personally support legal rights to own guns for protection, bans on handgun ownership, guns as effective tools for home defense, carrying a firearm in one's vehicle for protection, and actual ownership of a firearm in the home. Findings indicate the existence of strong support for firearms as a means of personal protection among the judges surveyed. However, the vast majority of judges disapproved of the practice of carrying a weapon in one's car. There were no statistically significant attitudinal differences between district and superior court judges. These findings suggest that little political support would be found among southern judges for legislation designed to restrict rights to firearms ownership for self-protection. 2 tables and 13 references. (Author abstract modified)