The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Link between support for gun control and shootings
US citizens living near scenes of mass public shootings are more likely to prefer stricter gun control, according to new research.
Academics from Sheffield University and the University of California found the effect even when a range of other factors were taken into account, including the number of murders per capita, the number of firearms per person and the Republican vote in a respondent’s county of residence.
Those living in an area where a mass shooting occurred were 20% more likely to support stricter gun control that with those living farthest away.
Researchers used data from more than 200 mass public shootings between 1966 and 2010, which they merged with survey data on the gun control preferences of more than 50,000 people using the 2010 Cooperative Congressional Election Study.
Dr Todd Hartman, from Sheffield University and co-author of the study, said: “Our study suggests a clear link between those that live in an area where a mass shooting has taken place and a desire for stricter gun regulation.”
He added that in most Western countries where mass shootings have taken place, laws to tighten gun controls had followed swiftly.
He gave the example of the response in the UK and Australia to the 1996 shootings in Dunblane and Port Arthur.