|
 Researchers recruited young people on social media platforms like
Facebook and Instagram, then surveyed 772 participants via text
message to get their thoughts on gun control. Most participants were
white, more than half were female, and most still lived with their
parents.
Overall, 62 percent thought stricter gun control laws would help
decrease mass shootings, while about one-third thought this wouldn't
have any impact, researchers report in JAMA Pediatrics.
"The majority of youth were for more gun control to keep guns away
from those that might commit dangerous acts," said study coauthor
Dr. Tammy Chang, of the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann
Arbor.
"Interestingly, the remainder of youth that were not supportive of
gun control were not necessarily saying that they thought anyone
should be able to buy a gun," Chang said by email. "Rather, those
youth were expressing their doubt that gun control alone would be
enough to keep guns away from dangerous people, and might hinder
good people from getting guns."
When researchers asked teens their thoughts on having guns in their
own homes, 28 percent were in favor of it, citing reasons like a
constitutional right to gun ownership, experience hunting or having
a parent who owns guns.
Another 38 percent of participants were on the fence about this
question, and willing to support guns in the home only under certain
conditions - like storing firearms in a lock box or limiting the
number of weapons allowed in any given home.
Only 34 percent of teens said they outright opposed guns in the
home, and these participants said that was because it is dangerous.
When researchers asked about the potential for gun control laws to
affect mass shootings, 33 percent of teens said it wouldn't make a
difference. These participants felt that gun laws already on the
books haven't helped, and that people determined to commit this type
of crime would find a gun no matter what.
The survey also asked teens who, if anyone, should not be allowed to
own guns.
[to top of second column] |
Half of the participants said mentally ill individuals and people
with criminal records should be prohibited from owning firearms.
About 22 percent also said people with a history of being a danger
to themselves or others shouldn't be allowed to own guns.
JAMA Pediatrics, online July 30, 2018.
The group of volunteer participants was not a nationally
representative sample, so it's not clear how closely the views
expressed reflect what all teens in the U.S. believe. The study also
didn't explore regional differences in teens' perspectives on gun
control, or whether their viewpoints might be shaped by living in a
rural or urban community or their own experiences with firearms.
"Persons who 'grow up with guns' may come to see them as part of
life and they may also have more knowledge regarding gun
responsibility and safety," said Alex Piquero, a criminology
researcher at the University of Texas at Dallas who wasn't involved
in the study.
"We need to remember that when we study people's perceptions about
guns or any other issue, their views about the issue are seen
through the experiences they have and the glasses through which they
view and interpret them," Piquero said by email.
Still, the results suggest that young people, like adults, may have
complicated opinions about gun control, said Dr. James Dodington, an
injury prevention researcher at Yale School of Medicine and Yale New
Haven Hospital in Connecticut who wasn't involved in the study.
"It was interesting to see the stance most youth took in regard to
supporting legal gun ownership while supporting restrictions that
may decrease the chance of firearm injuries," Dodington said by
email. "This point of view mirrors the perspectives of many adults
and previous studies and points to the important notion that the
'nuances' of this policy discussion are not lost on youth."
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2M7YZCN
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
