Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Is there a relationship between fear of crime and attitudes toward gun control?

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Crime Prevention and Community Safety Aims and scope

Abstract

Much of the research on fear of crime uses fear as a dependent variable (what causes someone to be afraid of crime). This study uses fear of crime as an independent variable to examine its relationship with attitudes regarding gun control policy. Using a national sampling frame of over 3000 responses (n = 3265), this study explored whether fear of being a victim of crime has a relationship with one’s attitude toward gun control. Fear of crime correlated with attitude toward gun control, but when fear of crime and six other variables were examined together, the relationship between fear of crime and attitude toward gun control disappeared. Several variables such as age, sex, owning a firearm, and political ideology did have an effect on attitude toward gun control.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alfaro-Beracoechea, L., A. Puente, S. da Costa, N. Ruvalcaba, and D. Páez. 2018. Effects of fear of crime on subjective well-being: A meta-analytic review. The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context 10 (2): 89–96. https://doi.org/10.5093/ejpalc2018a9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armborst, A. 2017. How fear of crime affects punitive attitudes. European Journal on Criminal Policy & Research 23: 461–481. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-017-9342-5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arrigo, B.A., and A. Acheson. 2016. Concealed carry bans and the American college campus: A law, social sciences, and policy perspective. Contemporary Justice Review 19 (1): 120–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azrael, D., J. Cohen, C. Salhi, and M. Miller. 2018. Firearm storage in gun-owning households with children: Results of a 2015 national survey. Urban Health, 1–10.

  • Boateng, F.D., and N.S. Adjekum-Boateng. 2017. Differential perceptions of fear of crime amongcollege students: The race factor. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice 15 (2): 138–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Celinska, K. 2007. Individualism and collectivism in America: The case of gun ownership and attitudes toward gun control. Sociological Perspectives 50 (2): 229–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chadee, D., S. Smith, and C.J. Ferguson. 2019. Murder she watched: Does watching news or fictional media cultivate fear of crime? Psychology of Popular Media Culture 8 (2): 125–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chadee, D., D. Williams, and R. Bachew. 2018. Victims’ emotional distress and preventive measures usage: Influence of crime severity, risk protection, and fear. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology 30 (1): 14–30. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chataway, M.L., T.C. Hart, and C. Bond. 2019. The social-psychological process of fearing crime: Developing and testing a new momentary model of victimisation worry. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology 52 (4): 462–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coyne-Beasley, T., D.R. Miles, A.C. Lees, S.K. Proescholdbell, and C.A. Ford. 2012. Disparities in firearms ownership ad storage practices in North Carolina. Southern Medical Journal 105 (4): 225–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DuBow, F., E. McCabe, and G. Kaplan. 1979. Reactions to crime: A critical review of the literature. National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, D.A., and K.J. Renouf. 2017. Predicting fear of crime: Personality outperforms prior victimization. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology 29 (3): 403–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garoafalo, J. 1981. The fear of crime: Causes and consequences. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 72: 714–726.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gramlich, J., and K. Schaeffer. 2019. 7 facts about guns in the U.S. Facttank. News in the Numbers. Pew Research center. Retrieved 11–26–19 from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/10/22/facts-about-guns-in-united-states/

  • Hart, T.C. 2017. Using typologies of victimization worry to create strategies for reducing fear of crime. Police Practices and Research 18 (4): 407–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hauser, W., and G. Kleck. 2013. Guns and fear: A one-way street? Crime and Delinquency 2: 271–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Killias, M. 1990. Vulnerability: Towards a better understanding of a key variable in the genesis of fear of crime. Violence and Victims 5 (2): 97–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kleck, G. 1996. Crime, culture conflict and the sources of support for gun control: A multilevel application of the General Social Surveys. American Behavioral Scientist 39 (4): 397–404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Langhauser, D.P. 2009. Gun regulation on campus: Understanding Heller and preparing for subsequent litigation and legislation. Journal of College and University Law 36: 63–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaPoint, L.A. 2010. The up and battle for concealed carry at public universities. Journal of Student Affairs Colorado State University 19: 16–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lott, J.R., Jr. 2000. More guns less crime: Understanding crime and gun control laws, 2nd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macassa, G., R. Winersjö, K. Wijk, C. McGrath, N. Ahmadi, and J. Soares. 2017. Fear of crimeand its relationship to self-reported health and stress among men. Journal of Public Health Research 6 (3): 169–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • May, D.C., N.E. Rader, and S. Goodrum. 2010. A gendered assessment of the “threat of victimization”: Examining gender differences in fear of crime, perceived risk, avoidance, and defensive behaviors. Criminal Justice Review 35 (2): 159–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Noble, J., and A. Jardin. 2020. From victimization to fear: Fear of crime and its variations among victims. The British Journal of Criminology 60 (2): 468–489. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjs/azz051.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Podana, Z., and E. Krulichova. 2018. The impact of parenting style on fear of crime among adolescent boys and girls. Journal of Youth Studies 21 (2): 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rader, N.E. 2004. The threat of victimization: A theoretical reconceptualization of fear of crime. Sociological Spectrum 24: 689–407.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rader, N.E., D.C. May, and S. Goodrum. 2007. An empirical assessment of the “threat of victimization”: Considering fear of crime, perceived risk, avoidance, and defensive behaviors. Sociological Spectrum 27: 475–505.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramirez, M.D. 2015. Racial discrimination, fear of crime, and variability in Blacks’ preferences for punitive and preventative anti-crime policies. Political Behavior 37: 419–439.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rühs, F., W. Greve, and C. Kappes. 2017. Coping with criminal victimization and fear of crime: The protective role of accommodative self-regulation. Legal and Criminological Psychology 22: 359–377. https://doi.org/10.1111/lcrp.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, C.R., and H.D. McKay. 1942. Juvenile delinquency in urban areas. University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnick, B.G., and L.S. Fiddell. 2007. Using multivariate statistics, 5th ed. Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vernick, J.S., T. Alcorn, and J. Horwitz. 2017. Background checks for all gun buyers and gun violence restraining orders: State efforts to keep guns from high-risk persons. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 45 (1): 98–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verrecchia, P.J., and N. Hendrix. 2017a. College students’ perceptions towards carrying concealed weapons on college campuses. Journal of Criminal Justice Education 29 (1): 62–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verrecchia, P.J., and N. Hendrix. 2017b. College and university faculty members’ perceptions towards carrying concealed weapons on campus. International Journal of Criminology and Sociology 6: 205–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vilalta, C.J. 2012. Fear of crime and home security systems. Police Practice and Research 13 (1): 4–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vizzard, W.J. 2000. Shots in the dark: The policy, politics, and symbolism of gun control. Rowan and Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warr, M. 2000. Fear of crime in the United States: Avenues for research and policy. In Criminal justice 2000: Vol. 4 measurement and analysis of crime and justice, ed. D. Duffee, 451–490. National Institute of Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, J.Q., and G.L. Kelling. 1982. Broken windows: The police and neighborhood safety. Atlantic Monthly 127: 29–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winkler, A. 2018. Is the second amendment becoming irrelevant? Indiana Law Journal 93 (1): 252–265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woolnough, A.D. 2009. Fear of crime on campus: Gender differences in use of self-protective behaviours at an urban university. Security Journal 22 (1): 40–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. York College of Pennsylvania, York, USA

    P. J. Verrecchia

  2. Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, USA

    Michael D. Bush

  3. Radford University, Radford, USA

    Nicole Hendrix

Authors
  1. P. J. Verrecchia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael D. Bush
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Nicole Hendrix
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. J. Verrecchia.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Verrecchia, P.J., Bush, M.D. & Hendrix, N. Is there a relationship between fear of crime and attitudes toward gun control?. Crime Prev Community Saf 23, 264–277 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41300-021-00120-2

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41300-021-00120-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation