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The Why Factor: Carrying Guns

Carrying Guns

06/01/2017 GMT

BBC World Service - The Why Factor, Carrying Guns

In the countries where it’s legal, why do people choose to bear arms?

Why do so many people exercise their legal right to bear arms?  As crime comes down, more and more people are getting licences in the USA, so what are people really scared of?

In 1994, most Americans said they owned their gun for sport or hunting. Fast forward twenty years and now most people say they have their gun for self protection.  So what changed in this time; did crime increase? Actually, the data shows that crime has declined significantly over time. So what are people really scared of? And is it rational to respond in this way?
We visit a gun licensing class in Texas, USA to hear what prompted people to sign up. We also hear from Angela Stroud, sociologist and author of the book Good Guys With Guns, who argues that it’s not crime people are scared of, but something much less tangible.  We also hear from a psychologist in a country you may not associate with guns….neutral Switzerland. They have the third highest gun ownership rate in the world, after the USA and Yemen. So why do so many people have guns there?
Is it really just as simple as protecting ourselves from harm?

Presenter: Aasmah Mir
Producer: Phoebe Keane 

(Photo: Maria Mathis practices shooting her handgun on her ranch in Texas, USA.  )

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