There is a great deal of empirical evidence from the USA, but also internationally, that country-level gun ownership is positively associated with homicide and mass shooting rates. Because Switzerland appears to be an exception to this rule, having a high level of gun ownership but a very low homicide rate and practically no mass shootings, the Swiss situation is often used as evidence that firearm availability in the USA is not a cause of its high homicide and mass shooting rate. It is not surprising that the US National Rifle Association often points to Switzerland to argue that more rules on gun ownership are not necessary. Our psychological approach to gun violence acknowledges the sentiment that “guns don't kill people, people kill people”, by agreeing that guns are only to an end – to use a gun for murder or a mass shooting usually requires a willingness to shoot, an . We examine three major differences between these countries that could contribute to the difference in homicides and mass shootings—namely, differences in gun laws, gun culture, and in relevant societal conditions. We argue that it is the greater role guns play as symbols of individual empowerment in the USA, the greater challenges facing American notions of masculinity and most importantly, the greater level of economic deprivation (i.e., poverty) suffered by large sections of the US population that are plausible causes of the higher rate of homicides and mass shootings.

中文翻译：

---

枪支拥有量和枪支暴力：美国和瑞士的比较


来自美国和国际的大量经验证据表明，国家一级的枪支拥有量与凶杀率和大规模枪击率呈正相关。由于瑞士似乎是这一规则的例外，其枪支拥有率很高，但凶杀率非常低，而且几乎没有大规模枪击事件，因此瑞士的情况经常被用作证据，证明美国的枪支供应并不是造成枪支泛滥的原因。凶杀案和大规模枪击案发生率很高。毫不奇怪，美国全国步枪协会经常指责瑞士没有必要对枪支所有权制定更多规则。我们对待枪支暴力的心理方法承认“枪不杀人，人杀人”的观点，同意枪支只是为了目的——使用枪支进行谋杀或大规模枪击通常需要开枪的意愿，一个 。我们研究了这些国家之间可能导致凶杀和大规模枪击事件差异的三个主要差异，即枪支法、枪支文化和相关社会条件的差异。我们认为，枪支在美国作为个人赋权的象征发挥着越来越大的作用，美国人的男子气概观念面临着更大的挑战，最重要的是，大部分美国人口遭受了更大程度的经济剥夺（即贫困）这可能是凶杀案和大规模枪击案发生率较高的原因。