Study: White men with economic stress more attached to guns

White males with economic anxiety are more likely to give moral and emotional importance to firearms than other groups, a US university study said Monday.

According to a news release on Monday by Baylor University in Waco, about 300 kilometers northwest of Houston, the study, led by two sociology professors at the university, also found that the same group tends to view violence against the government as occasionally justifiable.

Co-author Carson Mencken said that white males facing financial difficulties view firearms as "morally and emotionally restorative" to society's problems.

"Guns and their inherent power restore in some people a sense of control stripped away by the economic consequences of globalism," Mencken said. "The ability to protect their property, families and communities is restorative."

The study found that white males are the only segment of the population that is likely to give moral and emotional importance to firearms when under economic pressure.

In addition, the study found that white males are the only segment of the population that view guns this way.

In contrast, non-white gun owners who have faced or may be coping with financially difficult times do not attach as much importance to guns, researchers found.

They also are much less likely to approve of violence against the federal government even if they feel high levels of economic stress.

"Perhaps it is because they have always had economic anxiety but have developed different coping mechanisms," co-author Paul Froese said.

The study, "Gun Culture in Action," was published in the journal Social Problems. It analyzes differences among American gun owners.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)