Weapon Ownership and the Willingness to Respond to Threats with Violence: The United States and Japan
Using data collected in Tokyo and Mito, Japan, and in Charlotte, North Carolina, the impact of weapons on the willingness to use violence in a variety of defined scenarios was analyzed. The American sample was twice as likely as the Japanese sample to say they would use a weapon when confronted by a...
| Contributors: | ; ; ; |
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| Format: | Electronic/Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2000
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| In: |
International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology
Year: 2000, Volume: 44, Issue: 2, Pages: 164-177 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Keywords: |
| Summary: | Using data collected in Tokyo and Mito, Japan, and in Charlotte, North Carolina, the impact of weapons on the willingness to use violence in a variety of defined scenarios was analyzed. The American sample was twice as likely as the Japanese sample to say they would use a weapon when confronted by a stranger, by a known acquaintance, or if someone illegally entered their homes. The major finding is that the stated willingness to use a weapon is significantly tied to whether one owned a weapon for personal safety and being male in both countries. Logistic regression shows the likelihood of responding to a threat by physical force to be twice as great in Japan and nearly eight times as great in Charlotte if the respondent owned a weapon. These data support the thesis of a weapons effect that influences one's definition of the situation |
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| ISSN: | 0306-624X |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0306624X00442003 |