Gun Enthusiasm,Hypermasculinity, Manhood Honor,and Lifetime Aggression

Links between gun enthusiasm, hypermasculinity, manhood honor maintenance, trait antagonism, and lifetime aggression were examined in this national sample of American men (N = 861). Regression analysis identified honor ideology for manhood and emotion devaluation as the factors that accounted best for gun enthusiasm. Large effect sizes (d > .70 in more than half of the contrasts) were found between cohorts harboring extreme positive versus negative gun attitudes. Gun owners (26.7% of sample) also showed elevations in most of these same trait dimensions, but not lifetime aggression. Gun owners and enthusiasts did not show evidence of childhood maltreatment or current emotional distress. Gun enthusiasts instead seemed to convey a sense of self-assurance and preparedness to respond aggressively to perceived affronts, particularly as they pertained to maintenance of their masculine ideals.