These past couple weeks three mass shootings devastated communities across California. On January 23, a gunman opened fire on a mushroom farm in Half Moon Bay. The elderly shooter murdered seven farmworkers, all of them Chinese or Mexican immigrants.
This came a few days after another mass shooting in Monterey Park. That day, an elderly gunman opened fire in a dance studio after a prominent Lunar New Year celebration. He killed eleven people, all of whom were AAPI.
Just five days before that, a mass shooting in the rural town of Goshen left six people dead, including a teenage mother and her infant. Police have linked the Central Valley shooting to the rural drug trade, but have yet to identify the perpetrator.
Gun violence weighs heavily on my mind. Less than a month into 2023, 40 mass shootings have occurred across the United States. Unfortunately, such a high number is as normal as it is tragic.
The proliferation of mass shootings has made me think about gun violence in rural America. The truth is that I do not know much about the topic. When I think of gun violence, my brain conjures images of "lone wolf" hate crimes, Chicago, and urban gang wars (thanks, Fox News).
Imagine my surprise when I found out that gun violence is actually worse in rural areas than cities. The Center for American Progress found that in 2020, the total gun death rate per capita for rural communities was 40 percent higher than it was for large metropolitan areas. On top of that, from 2016 to 2020, 13 out of the 20 U.S. counties with the most gun homicides per capita were rural.
The majority of these counties were in Southern and Midwestern states with strong gun rights politics such as Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina among others. These counties and states vote Republican and overwhelmingly oppose gun control.
It is no secret that Republicans tend to support greater gun access than Democrats. White Americans are also much less likely to view gun violence as a problem in America. This geographic phenomenon is well documented and easily discernible in today's politics.
These facts are similarly reflected across the urban-rural divide. Pew Research conducted a poll that found rural Americans significantly favor more expansive gun access while Americans in urban places prefer more restrictive policies. This is right in line with geographic gun ownership: 46% of rural Americans own a gun, as opposed to 28% of suburban Americans and 19% of urban Americans.
This begs the question: if gun violence disproportionately harms rural communities, why do rural areas continue to support gun-loving politicians?
First, I firmly believe that Republicans have successfully implemented propaganda campaigns to sway working class white Americans from voting for their own interests. This includes exacerbating racial tensions and overemphasizing America's "culture war." If you would like to read more, I have written about this previously.
One of the major consequences of this is a sort of media blackout about rural gun violence. Not only is there very little coverage of rural gun violence, the media often ignore guns as the main driver of the recent rise in violence. If major media, especially conservative platforms such as Fox News, fail to accurately and comprehensively cover mass shootings (or shootings that kill three or more people) in rural areas, then there are few ways that Americans can actually learn the true extent of rural gun violence.
Another reason rural areas may support stronger gun access is rural American culture. A fundamental aspect of rural culture is the American Dream-esque pride in "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps." Hard work, independence, and self-sufficiency are important parts of this and are highly valued in many areas of rural America.
This culture likely extends to guns. For example, 82% of rural gun owners say that owning a gun is essential to their own sense of personal freedom. Additionally, the most cited reason for owning a gun among rural Americans is protection, with hunting coming in a close second. Truly, what is more free or self-sufficient than protecting yourself or hunting for your own food?
Without a gun, some rural Americans might have to rely on the government for assistance and protection. This is not always reliable, especially considering the rural shortage of police officers. With the immediacy of emergencies and the hours it may take police to arrive to these remote areas, it is understandable that rural Americans may favor greater gun access to protect themselves.
The solution to reducing gun violence in rural areas, thus, cannot simply be a flat ban on guns. It is also understandable, then, why Republican fear mongering about Democrats taking rural Americans' guns is so effective. Democrats need to do a better job of including rural communities in gun control policymaking conversations (For example, remember Obama's "Bittergate" comments about how working class voters "get bitter" and "cling to their guns and religion."). Republicans need to acknowledge that something (anything) needs to be done about gun violence. In the end, we need to remember that we all should have the same goal of minimizing gun violence in all parts of the U.S.
5 comments:
I was also shocked to discover that the rates of gun violence are higher in rural communities. It is interesting to think that the same fear (and self-sufficiency) that leads to rural people having more guns likely leads to increased rates of gun violence. I am sure that underlying the claims that guns are part of "personal freedom," there must be a lot of fear. It's also interesting to note that many of these problems come from the media. As you stated, Fox news lacks nuance and flips instances of gun violence to promote more gun ownership. Yet, Fox news is the same media source that perpetuates fear among its listeners. This seems like a deadly and irresponsible combination that likely perpetuates many of rural people's problems.
Again the culture of self-sufficiency in rural America reminds me of the masculine association there is with rural America. I wonder how different rural areas could be if there were more feminine/nature-centric views and cultural socializing in rural areas. (Or if our views can only change once rural problems change).
This is a very interesting post. I also did not realize that rural counties' proportional gun homicide rates outnumbered those of urban counties. I also appreciate your inclusion and recognition of the possibility that rural folks feel that they need guns for their own safety given their geographic realities and the shortage of police in rural communities. That said, your closing sentences capture an important point - all parties need to recognize that something must be done to minimize gun violence; it's not necessary that an all or nothing approach is required, but something that starts to move the needle a little bit at least.
I often think about the politics of voting against our own self interests. I definitely see this in our collective inability to pass comprehensive legislation on gun control. I keep thinking we will look up from our democrat and republican bubbles to realize that children are dying and innocent people on both sides are paying the price. Perhaps this is not a reality we can face because of our ideological and cultural divides. Still, there has to be an alternative to what we are doing now.
It's tragic that gun violence in rural areas is a topic that is often overlooked in the national conversation on gun control. I always associated gun violence with more urban areas, but that may be partially because the prevelance of gun violence makes me think that only mass shootings are the problem, when really it happens SO often! I was surprised to see that the statistics show gun violence being worse in rural areas than in cities, with the total gun death rate for rural communities in 2020 being 40% higher than in large metropolitan areas.
You suggest that one reason for this disparity is rural Americans' strong support for gun ownership and their culture of self-sufficiency and independence. From my experience, guns in rural areas act as an effective crime deterrent. Nobody wants to mess with the house that only fires one warning shot. This is especially seen as necessary in areas where the County Sheriff arrives in 45 minutes, provided you are the most important call at the time.
You also highlight the role of propaganda campaigns and media blackout in the lack of coverage of rural gun violence, suggest that the rural population is often swayed by Republican fear-mongering about Democrats taking away their guns and that major media, particularly conservative platforms such as Fox News, often fail to accurately cover mass shootings in rural areas, making it difficult for Americans to learn the true extent of rural gun violence.
As you point out, the solution to reducing gun violence in rural areas cannot simply be a flat ban on guns, as this ignores the culture and values of many rural Americans. Overall, it does seem like there is a strong need for increased dialogue and collaboration across political and cultural divides to address the issue of gun violence in all parts of the country. Rather than demonizing one another, people must recognize that reducing gun violence is a shared goal, and that solutions must be tailored to the unique needs and circumstances of different communities.
However, what do you think the best way to do that is? I can vouch for Fox News watchers (hear me out). If the only media you consume is Fox News, it can be terrifying. I'm educated enough to know how ridiculous some of their claims are, but when I go home and am forced to watch their reporting, I also watch the pure fear that crosses my grandmother's face. Fox News knows how to cover their tracks in that they demonize other points of view to the point where if Fox News is all you know, any conflicting information is terrifying. A prior blog post ("Pitting rural against urban in transportation policy and politics") touches on this as well.
Is there a way to reconcile the political divide? Many rural Americans view their gun rights in the same way many liberals view the right to an abortion: constitutional and not to be touched. How can we find a medium that works for all without infringing on their Constitutional rights? Particularly when it is plain english in the Bill of Rights and the right to an abortion requires subtext, yet we advocate for abortion and try and ban guns?
Here's some interesting coverage of some reasons people want guns. The story is not entirely rural-specific, but is salient to this conversation.
https://www.npr.org/2022/10/29/1132598089/as-mass-shootings-continue-why-do-people-buy-firearms-we-asked-new-gun-owners
Post a Comment