NCJ Number
198008
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 44 Issue: 4 Dated: October 2002 Pages: 403-423
Date Published
October 2002
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article reports on research that used data from a telephone survey of adult residents of the Province of Alberta (Canada) to test hypotheses concerning instrumental and ideological explanations of support for the universal registration of firearms in Canada.
Abstract
In the 1990's, gun control received increased public attention and debate in Canada in the context of the enactment of more restrictive legislation by Parliament. Although public support was strong for these increased restrictions, there was also significant opposition in some segments of the population. The current research aimed to fill the gap in multivariate research that attempts to explain this variation in attitudes toward gun control in Canada. The study involved interviews with 1,207 adult residents of Alberta (18 years of age or older) between late November 1997 and early January 1998. A quota sampling system was used to obtain an equal distribution of female and male respondents. The dependent variable (support for firearms registration) was measured by a single item: "All firearms in Canada should be registered with the Federal Government." Although nearly half of the respondents (48 percent) strongly agreed with this statement, a sizeable minority of 22 percent strongly disagreed. The demographic/background variables of age, gender, education, and residence of the respondents were measured in standard ways. Agreement with the legislation that requires mandatory and universal gun registration was found to be a function of people's views regarding the effectiveness of gun control in lowering crime. There was also evidence that fear of crime among those who most strongly believed in gun control effectiveness resulted in even higher levels of support for universal firearms registration. Various measures of the socio-political values and beliefs of the respondents failed to predict support for gun registration. The author advises that to the extent that public support for universal firearms registration depends on the perceived effectiveness of gun control policy, public support may weaken should violent crime show any subsequent substantial increase. Decreased public support for restrictive gun control could then affect future policy debates regarding gun-control measures. 3 tables, 3 notes, and 49 references