---
title: Concealed (Fear of) Carry
description: Republicans and independents are much more likely to privately admit that gun violence makes them feel unsafe than they are to admit it publicly.
image: https://i2.createsend1.com/ei/t/0D/778/871/csimport/2023-07_lst_item_pop_plot_newsletter.072036.png
---

![List experiment plot titled ](https://i2.createsend1.com/ei/t/0D/778/871/csimport/2023-07_lst_item_pop_plot_newsletter.072036.png)

[Cory Manento](https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/author/cory-manento)2023/07/261 min read

# Concealed (Fear of) Carry

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Famously, in 1776 America’s Founding Fathers convened in Philadelphia with the noble purpose of making a wish on a Monkey’s Paw for the U.S. to be #1 at *everything*. Unfortunately, [the list of things we’re best at](https://email.gradientmetrics.com/t/t-l-zdrudut-jldktdjrtu-k/) includes gun violence. The country has already endured [over 400 mass shootings](https://email.gradientmetrics.com/t/t-l-zdrudut-jldktdjrtu-u/) in 2023, which is on pace for a single-year record.

 

Fear would be a reasonable reaction to the fact that gun violence [killed](https://email.gradientmetrics.com/t/t-l-zdrudut-jldktdjrtu-o/) over 48,000 Americans in 2021 and is now the [leading cause](https://email.gradientmetrics.com/t/t-l-zdrudut-jldktdjrtu-b/) of death among children. But just like Uncle Jerry tells us about his weekly “special meetings” that he’s “legally required” to attend: admitting there’s a problem can be the hardest part.

 

Given *gestures at politics*, not everyone is incentivized to admit that gun violence poses a threat to personal feelings of safety. That’s why we built a confessional booth, in the form of a [list experiment](https://email.gradientmetrics.com/t/t-l-zdrudut-jldktdjrtu-n/), and invited Americans to step inside to confess their true feelings about gun violence.

 

![](https://i2.createsend1.com/ei/t/0D/778/871/csimport/2023-07_lst_item_pop_plot_newsletter.072036.png)

 

While Democrats equally admit publicly and privately that gun violence makes them feel unsafe, **Republicans and independents are much more likely to privately admit that gun violence makes them feel unsafe than they are to admit it publicly**. This implies that the appetite for addressing gun violence is far more widespread than traditional polling suggests.

 

While we’re happy to prescribe truth serum, *policy* prescriptions are more elusive. **Just 22% of Democrats believe society would be safer if more people owned guns, while most Republicans (64%) think more guns would increase safety**. Evidently, there isn’t a magic bullet that makes everyone feel safer.

![avatar](https://www.gradientmetrics.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Landing%20Page/team_photos/gradient-cory.png?width=290&name=gradient-cory.png)

[Cory Manento

](https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/author/cory-manento)Cory holds a master’s degree and PhD in Political Science from Brown University, specializing in experimental survey research on voter attitudes, behavior, and electoral preferences. Coming from a background in which success is achieved through rigorous causal inference and sharp research design, Cory thrives on translating client needs into testable questions that yield actionable results.

[mailto:cory@gradientmetrics.com](mailto:cory@gradientmetrics.com)

## RELATED ARTICLES

<https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/concealed-fear-of-carry#>

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