Identity and the racialized politics of violence in gun regulation policy preferences

Identity and the racialized politics of violence in gun regulation policy preferences

Objective In this study, we examine how attitudes about race, as well as ethno‐racial identities, influence support for various gun regulation policies. Drawing on the Racial Resentment and identity politics literature, we argue that attitudes about gun control are not simply driven by ideological,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social science quarterly Vol. 103; no. 6; pp. 1342 - 1358
Main Authors: Vidal, Xavier Medina, Páez, Rocío A., Shields, Todd G.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-11-2022
Subjects:
African Americans
Attitudes
attitudes about gun control
Black Lives Matter movement
Demography
Elections
Ethnic identity
Firearm laws & regulations
Firearms
Generalizability
Hispanic Americans
Identity politics
National elections
Partisanship
Polls & surveys
Race
Racial identity
racial resentment
Regional variations
Regions
Resentment
Respondents
southern politics
Weapons
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Summary:Objective In this study, we examine how attitudes about race, as well as ethno‐racial identities, influence support for various gun regulation policies. Drawing on the Racial Resentment and identity politics literature, we argue that attitudes about gun control are not simply driven by ideological, partisan, or demographic factors, but are often influenced by attitudes about race and identity, and region. Methods Using data from a 2016 national survey of White, African American, and Hispanic/Latinx respondents, along with a comparable southern sample, we test for the effects of ethno‐racial identity, Racial Resentment, evaluations of the Black Lives Matter movement, and feelings about African Americans on individuals’ attitudes about background checks and banning assault weapons. Using the 2016 American National Election Study, we test the generalizability of these findings in the presence of additional controls. Results Overall, we find that attitudes about race, ethno‐racial identities, and in some cases regional variations, help explain support for gun regulation policies.
ISSN:0038-4941
1540-6237
DOI:10.1111/ssqu.13023