Research

Despite its recent scandals, the NRA may remain capable of mobilizing large numbers of people who are armed and willing to use violence to advance political objectives. At the same time, NRA approvers who reject political violence might be uniquely credible messengers in efforts to create a population-wide culture of non-acceptance for political violence.

-Garen Wintemute, director of CVP, professor, and lead author

• While nearly two-thirds (63.2%; n=2188) of survey respondents favored police-initiated petitions, write-in responses illuminated nuanced and context-dependent tradeoffs situated within racialized legal, political, and economic systems. 
• These tradeoffs included: 
  1. systems knowledge versus relational and contextual knowledge;
  2. mainstream credibility versus direct lines of communication;
  3. procedural burden versus personal capacity and responsibility;
  4. fear of repercussions versus wariness of law enforcement;

• Most respondents (67.4%) reported having never heard of extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs).

“Extreme risk protection orders are often talked about as a way to prevent suicide, but our findings show they may do more than that. People subject to these orders in California were less likely to be arrested for violence or other crimes while the orders were in effect and even after they ended, suggesting ERPOs have a meaningful role to play in preventing interpersonal violence.”

-Veronica Pear, assistant professor and lead author

“Entrapment in a spiral of escalating political violence is not inevitable. Those who promote violence, whether in government or not, must recognize that they do not have the public’s support. The large majority of us who reject political violence must make our rejection known, creating a climate of unacceptability for violence that will help prevent its occurrence.”

-Garen Wintemute, director of CVP, professor, and lead author

Clinicians have a unique opportunity to contribute to the prevention of firearm-related injury and death. The 3As Framework provides clinicians with the tools to have respectful, effective conversations about firearms with their patients and clients, their family members and caregivers.

These conversations can feel difficult. But with training and a risk-based approach, clinicians can guide patients and their families to better understand the risks of having firearms in the home.”

• Support for political violence decreased for 19.9% of respondents, increased for 14.2%, and remained unchanged for 65.9%.
• "Things improved for me financially" was associated with decreased support for political violence.
• "I gave up on politics" was associated with increased support for political violence.
• Those who reported that violence was usually or always justified for at least 1 political objective in 2022 had no events associated with change in support in 2023.
• Among those who

While some modest differences emerged between military and non-military respondents, overall, findings indicated that military service and combat experience did not act as risk factors for support for and willingness to engage in political violence, or approval of extremist organizations and movements.

• More than 50% MAGA Republicans considered violence usually or always justified to advance at least 1 of 21 specified political objectives (MAGA Republicans, 55.9%; non-MAGA non-Republicans, 25.5%).
• MAGA Republicans were more likely than non-MAGA non-Republicans to predict civil war “in the next few years” (10.4% and 5.4%, respectively) and to agree that “the United States needs a civil war to set things right” (7.8% and 2.4%, respectively).
• MAGA Republicans more frequently predicted that they would be armed with a firearm in a se

• In 2023, strong agreement with expressions of 7 forms of hatred, fear, and enmity toward others was common in the United States: homonegativity, 26.4%; racism, 19.1%; transphobia, 17.1%; xenophobia, 10.3%; hostile sexism, 8.1%; Islamophobia, 5.5%; antisemitism, 3.2%.
• For each of them, strong agreement was significantly associated with the view that political violence is justified.