Pandemic Fears Driving Firearm Purchases forensicmag.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from forensicmag.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The trend may be more prevalent in those who already own firearms, the researchers report.
The study in the
Journal of Psychiatric Research shows that people intending to acquire a firearm in the next 12 months have less tolerance for uncertainty, have exaggerated threat expectancies, and are experiencing more severe COVID-19 specific fears.
“…the 2020 purchasing surge seems to be prompted by a sense that times are stressful and the world is unsafe.”
They also were more likely to have experienced suicidal ideation in the past year, to have worked in law enforcement, and to have worked at jobs considered essential during COVID-19.
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Stress related to the coronavirus pandemic and the uncertainty of what the future holds is motivating people to purchase firearms, a trend that may be more prevalent in those who already own firearms, according to a Rutgers study.
The study, published in the
Journal of Psychiatric Research, found that people intending to acquire a firearm in the next 12 months are less tolerant of uncertainty, have exaggerated threat expectancies and are experiencing more severe COVID-19 specific fears. They also were more likely to have experienced suicidal ideation in the past year, to have worked in law enforcement, and to have been considered essential workers during COVID-19.