ERIC Number: EJ901457
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Mar
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0037-7732
EISSN: N/A
Gun Cultures or Honor Cultures? Explaining Regional and Race Differences in Weapon Carrying
Felson, Richard B.; Pare, Paul-Philippe
Social Forces, v88 n3 p1357-1378 Mar 2010
We use the National Violence against Women (and Men) Survey to examine the effects of region and race on the tendency to carry weapons for protection. We find that Southern and Western whites are much more likely than Northern whites to carry guns for self-protection, controlling for their risk of victimization. The difference between Southern and Northern whites is particularly strong for women. We do not find much evidence for regional/race differences in carrying knives or mace. These findings provide support for the idea that regional differences in weapon carrying reflect a gun culture rather than an honor culture. We see more evidence of an honor culture among blacks: they are more likely than whites to carry knives as well as guns, controlling for their risk of victimization. (Contains 3 tables and 4 notes.)
Descriptors: Weapons, Violence, Females, Whites, Victims of Crime, Social Influences, Racial Differences, Cultural Influences, Place of Residence, At Risk Persons, Gender Differences, African Americans, Homicide, Hispanic Americans, Income, Age Differences, Educational Attainment, Safety, Urban Areas, Rural Areas
University of North Carolina Press. 116 South Boundary Street, P.O. Box 2288, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2288. Tel: 800-848-6224; Tel: 919-966-7449; Fax: 919-962-2704; e-mail: uncpress@unc.edu; Web site: http://uncpress.unc.edu/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A