Citation

Lizotte AJ, Bordua DJ. J. Polit. Mil. Sociol. 1980; 8(2): 243-256.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1980, Journal of Political and Military Sociology)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Several studies suggest that veterans are more likely than non veterans to own guns. They inferred that this differential is due to the acquisition of guns during combat and to military socialization. This research offers alternative hypotheses for veterans' high rate of gun ownership. First, since rural people are more likely to own guns, and more likely to be in the military, early socialization into gun ownership (and not military socialization) might be the reason for veterans' high rate of gun ownership. Second, since enlistees tend to come from rural areas, veterans may prefer to return to rural areas. Since rural people are more likely to own sporting guns, this could account for the differential in veterans gun ownership. The data suggest that the veteran-gun ownership relation is spurious. Military firearms use does not predict gun ownership when other factors are controlled. Rather, early socialization into gun use accounts for the differential.

Language: en