Since the times of the US’s founding fathers, gun ownership has been a significant aspect of American society for years. One may wonder where this culture came from. Fortunately, a team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison explains the practice’s growth.
Gun ownership has a connection to slavery during Civil War
The researchers discovered a connection between the current firearm ownership rates and slavery-related activities during the American Civil War. According to the researchers, counties in the United States with a high save population in 1860 currently have a higher gun ownership rate.
There is a unique relationship between gun ownership in the US, with a historical and cultural connection. Even though only 5% of the planet’s population, the US accounts for almost 45% of the world’s civilian handgun ownership.
Psychology professor Nick Buttrick stated that gun ownership in the country is a case of American Exceptionalism. He explained that the US is radically different from other nations, such as Australia or Canada, which are countries with the same cultural roots.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans who own guns say it is for protecting their families or personal protection. In other countries, people believe owning a gun makes the home dangerous. Prof Buttrick said that gun scholars have in the past tried to study the role of race in the US gun culture, and he thinks the two are connected.
Gun ownership most popular among white southerners
The latest report shows a change in gun attitudes over the years, with a change from the pre-Civil perception of guns being tools for sport and hunting. Post the Civil War, the perception of guns protecting property, family, and a way of life has become common among white southerners.
Surprisingly, the trend has intensified because of some societal and local factors, including armed white supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and an influx of military weapons. There is also rhetoric that the reconstruction government might not protect the interests of southerners from the politically empowered and freed African Americans.
