A new study has found that Americans, including traditionally pro-gun groups, are averse to living near AR-15 owners and neighbors who store guns insecurely. This consensus highlights potential local-level agreement on gun safety practices.

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that across all political and social groups in the United States, there is a strong preference against living near AR-15 rifle owners and neighbors who store guns outside of locked safes. This surprising consensus suggests that when it comes to immediate living environments, Americans’ views on gun control may be less divided than the polarized national debate suggests.

The research was conducted against a backdrop of increasing gun violence and polarization on gun policy in the United States. The United States has over 350 million civilian firearms and gun-related incidents, including accidents and mass shootings, have become a leading cause of death in the country. Despite political divides, the new study aimed to explore whether there’s common ground among Americans in their immediate living environments, focusing on neighborhood preferences related to gun ownership and storage.

  • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
    1·
    8 months ago

    The goalposts have already been massively moved.

    The post is about AR-15s. All rifles combined are used less than 3% of firearm homicides, which combined make up approximately 1/3rd of firearm deaths.

    By including all firearm deaths in a discussion about AR-15s we’re suggesting they’re 100 times deadlier than they are.

    ARs don’t actually have a huge impact. It’s why the sunset of the AWB was kinda ignored. Every study of the AWB’s impact showed no statistically-significant impact from the AWB, so there wasn’t much effort to keep it going at the time.

    The guns that are involved in almost all homicides, suicides, and accidents aren’t ARs. They’re pistols. When the AWB expired, the gun control crowd focused on them almost exclusively. But then around 2009 messaging suddenly changed and ARs were the most evil thing in the universe again.

    In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled in DC v Heller that handguns were protected. Suddenly gun control groups had a problem. They couldn’t ban handguns without a constitutional amendment, and they needed to justify their existence.

    So they changed messaging and started going after ARs bigtime. They created a political climate that drove unhinged crazy people to go buy ARs to spite the Brady Foundation, and the AR became the most popular firearm platform in the country.

    Then, wonder of wonders, the most popular gun was used in more crimes.

    It’s like saying F-150s are more dangerous than Cybertrucks because more F-150s get in wrecks.