Gun Ownership Stigma and Gun Dealer's Navigation of the Gun Control Compliance Process

• In Event: Describing, Reacting to, and Navigating Through Gun Policy

Abstract

Legal gun dealers are an important component of the gun control compliance process. In Australia, they must oversee and facilitate every gun acquisition and sale to any member of the public and ensure that gun licensing laws are upheld as part of their everyday business activities. However, as members of the gun-owning community, they are also subject to these laws and the assumptions made by politicians, the media, and the public that they are against gun controls. This study seeks to explore and understand gun dealer perspectives of the law in the context of their everyday experiences of participating in the process of gun control compliance while navigating expectations about their support for the laws. Using 30 semi-structured interviews of gun dealers across Australia, along with over 100 hours of observation of gun dealer activities, findings demonstrate that gun dealers hold complex views about gun control law. While they generally support the main aims of gun control, their concerns center on the implementation of guns laws. Furthermore, findings suggest that the stigmatizing effect of being a member of the gun-owning community challenges how gun dealers interact with law enforcement as part of the formal compliance process.

Authors

• Suzanna Fay, The University of Queensland

• Emma Belgrove, University of Queensland