Belief in supernatural evil is a strong predictor of pro-gun beliefs

AMERICA’S CLAIM to exceptionalism is undeniable when it comes to gun culture. Its residents own 46% of the world’s 860m civilian-held guns, according to Small Arms Survey, a Geneva-based research outfit. There are 120.5 firearms per 100 American residents—more than twice the number of second-place Yemen, a country at war. In a Gallup poll 40% of gunslingingers said they owned weapons for hunting. But what explains support for less mainstream pro-gun views such as arming teachers and carrying weapons in public? A recent study by Christopher Ellison, Benjamin Dowd-Arrow, Amy Burdette and three other sociologists delves into an important but overlooked motivating factor that highlights the role of religion.