Is Gun Ownership Racialized: An Examination Through the Lens of Denominational Affiliation

ABSTRACT The racial, religious, and political predictors of gun ownership reveal deep structural and cultural divides in American society. In particular, African Americans have faced economic and political barriers that have robbed them of full participation in American life, including but not limited to gun ownership. But beyond these structural barriers, African Americans must also navigate distinct cultural spheres compared to Whites, and this, too, impacts gun ownership. This becomes evident when we look at how conservatism (both political and religious) acts differently in Black and White communities. Utilizing logistic regression and moderation analysis, I show that, unlike Whites, political conservatism is not associated with gun ownership for Blacks, and religious conservatism actually diminishes Black gun ownership. These findings confirm that gun ownership is celebrated by White Christian conservatives but not by Black Christian conservatives, mainly because American gun ownership is so steeped in racial resentment.