Gun Control Is Man Control

Found this older (mid-1990s) study linking gun control and other left-lib hobby horses to antipathy for masculinity and traditional male gender roles. A snippet:

The relationship between the sexes has been changing since the development of oral contraceptives in the early 1960s. The biological division of labor has become less important, social roles have become more fluid. Increasing urbanization, the decline of primary industries and the rise of service industries, have devalued the male roles of hunter, provider, protector and replaced them with more equalitarian expectations. In a sense, women constitute a status group on the rise, who would like, finally, to see their concerns recognized in law and society. 

Gusfield wrote:

"Since governmental actions symbolize the position of groups in the status structure, seemingly ceremonial or ritual acts of government are often of great importance to many social groups. Issues which seem foolish or impractical items are often important for what they symbolize about the style or culture which is being recognized or derogated... Since drinking had been largely a male activity, the concern of the woman for Temperance was itself an act of controlling the relation between the sexes."

Guns are largely a male activity. Is concern for "gun control" an act of controlling the relation between the sexes? Violence against women has become an increasing concern in Canadian society. Guns symbolize violence, so gun control is, for many, a response to these concerns. In the 1993 survey a lack of experience with guns, a desire to restrict pornography, and a favorable attitude toward homosexuals were associated with pro gun control attitudes. Additional questions asked in 1994 showed that other factors were also important, and the original relationships were specified. Lack of experience with guns and being pro-homosexual turned out to be only important for men. So few women in the sample have any personal experience with guns that it is not a major determinant of their attitudes overall (this was also true in 1993). Once women could express directly their desire for men to be more sensitive, less "macho," it became clear that being "pro homosexual" had simply been a proxy variable for women expressing this desire.

Both men and women think gun control will greatly reduce violence against women, but for very different reasons. Women see it as part of a set of desired roles for men in their relationship with women: men should protect women, but not be "macho" about it. Men think it because they overestimate the role of handguns in murder, want to be sensitive to womens' concerns by prohibiting sexually explicit depictions of nude people, and come from urban homes that do not contain guns.

Both men and women who would not defend themselves with a gun are in favor of gun control, but for somewhat different reasons. They both reject the death penalty for first degree murder, but for men this part of a set of "politically correct" responses which includes giving women a combat role in the army and opposition to talks on politically incorrect topics. These men may also reject self defense with a gun because there are no guns in their homes, and they may not have any idea of how to use a gun. For women rejection of the death penalty is more of a pro-life choice: they are opposed to easy abortions, think homosexuals should be allowed to adopt children, and are non-drinking vegetarians. Perhaps they would not defend themselves with a gun because of a fear of killing the aggressor. Women who want to restrict the sale of sexually explicit materials are pro gun control. This is associated with a desire to prohibit all sexually explicit depictions of nude people, and a desire for men to be more sensitive, less "macho."

Overall, the men who favor gun control are those who reject traditional male roles and behavior. They are opposed to hunting, are pro homosexual, do not have any experience with or knowledge of guns and tend to have "politically correct" attitudes. Overall, the women who support gun control do so in the context of controlling male violence and sexuality. While this study has not explained all of the motivations for gun control (there is considerable unexplained variance in the regression equations) it does support the contention that gun control is, symbolically, male control.[emphasis mine]

Fascinating. Up until now, I had thought of the Second Amendment civil-rights fight as a part of the enduring struggle for liberty against the powers of tyranny.  This article presents a different perspective: that gun control is merely another facet of social control of more masculine men by women, white knights, and effete men. Thus, on top of other types of social controls of men, for example, chalimony, sexual harassment law, rape law, and a men-to-women transfer payments regime, we can see that gun control is but one more way for yin to tame yang, for Eve to dominate Adam, for her own personal benefit.