With the nation-wide policy debate on whether a gun ban should be implemented becoming prominent in the nation’s policy agenda after recent gun massacres, policy analysts believe that Latinos’ perspectives on gun violence might have a significant influence on the gun control debate.
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), one of the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., favors President Obama’s recent announcement of executive actions limiting gun violence.
“We praise the president’s swift, thoughtful action as well as his challenge to Congress to enact new measures and broaden this long-overdue national conversation,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO of NCLR. “In addition, we praise his approach that looks more broadly at how gun violence impacts communities of color, including the Latino community.”
Those in favor and those against a gun ban have sought Latinos to gain support for their agendas.
Pro-gun ban groups have pointed to an April 2012 Pew Research Center survey that found that 29% of Latinos support protecting gun rights. In contrast, 57% of Caucasians and 35% of African Americans felt this way. They also point to low gun ownership rates as demonstrated by Gallup surveys from 2007-2012, which found that roughly 18% of Latinos own guns, whereas about 21% of African Americans and 33% of non-Latino whites do.
On their front, pro-gun ownership advocates have focused on the Latino hunting culture to hint that Latinos are likely to support gun rights.
For Artemisa Gaxiola, a 30-year-old massage therapist, her pink .38-caliber revolver represents her long-rooted attraction to guns. An attraction she developed since she was a teen and went hunting with her family in her native Hermosillo, Mexico.
“The gun is not bad. It is how the person uses the gun,” says Artemisa Gaxiola, a 30-year-old massage therapist whose pink .38-caliber revolver represents her long-rooted attraction to guns, developed since she was a teen when she went hunting with her family in her native Hermosillo, Mexico.
Recent Comments