Fear of Firearms May Be a Mental Disorder

I recently had a very interesting conversation, which I will highlight using platonic script.

Conley: My dad had a concealed carry permit and growing up he always carried a gun.  It scared me.

Jerron: Why did it scare you?



Conley: Because guns are scary.  I don't like them.

Jerron: Was your dad violent or abusive?

Conley: No.

Jerron: Did your dad ever have to use the gun?

Conley: No.

Jerron: Did your dad ever hurt himself or others accidentally with the firearm?

Conley: No.

Jerron: Did your father ever handle the weapon in an unsafe way?

Conley: No.  He was always very careful.

Jerron: So I'm confused why it scared you that he carried it.

Conley: Guns are a violent weapon...they're scary.

Jerron: Would you be scared if your dad carried a sword or a crossbow with him everywhere?

Conley: No.

Jerron: Why?

Conley: Because he isn't a violent person.  I know he wouldn't hurt anyone with it unless he had to.

Jerron: Exactly.  I do not fear violent weapons.  I am wary of violent people.  The fact that you were frightened by your father's gun shows that you have a phobia.
It's Conley: How so?

Jerron: A phobia is defined as an irrational fear of something.  Based on the fact that your father was not violent, was never careless with the weapon, and you would not be fearful of him carrying an alternative weapon, I can only conclude that your fear of firearms is irrational.  Therefore it a phobia.

Of course, my friend denied having a phobia; he said his fear of firearms was 100% rational.  However, he could not provide me with a single logical reason why he should fear a firearm over any other weapon besides that "it is loud".

Below is the diagnostic criteria for a specific phobia from the American Psychological Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5 (DSM-5).  One can see how fear of firearms could be diagnosable as a phobia.

Diagnostic Criteria

 A. Marked fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation (e.g., flying, heights, animals, receiving an injection, seeing blood).

        Note: In children, the fear or anxiety may be expressed by crying, tantrums, freezing, or clinging.

B. The phobic object or situation almost always provokes immediate fear or anxiety.

C. The phobic object or situation is actively avoided or endured with intense fear or anxiety.

D. The fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual danger posed by the specific object or situation and to the sociocultural context.

E. The fear, anxiety, or avoidance is persistent, typically lasting for 6 months or more.

F. The fear, anxiety, or avoidance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

G. The disturbance is not better explained by the symptoms of another mental disorder, including fear, anxiety, and avoidance of situations associated with panic-like symptoms or other incapacitating symptoms (as in agoraphobia); objects or situations related to obsessions (as in obsessive-compulsive disorder); reminders of traumatic events (as in posttraumatic stress disorder); separation from home or attachment figures (as in separation anxiety disorder); or social situations (as in social anxiety disorder).


Now, let me be clear.  There are plently of rational reasons to fear firearms.  Victims of actual violence or trauma related to firearms would have every reason to fear them.  The point I am attempting to illustrate is that the majority of those who fear firearms are irrational, and their feelings are phobic.  And we should not be basing policy on the opinions of phobic individuals.


This is part of a series on firearms.