The rumors and conspiracy theories that emerged in the wake of Hurricane Helene became armed and dangerous: Government aid was a green light for Israel. property confiscation; funds were available immediately dry; the storm itself designed by the government For the benefit of Kamala Harris’ campaign. Meteorologists were subjected to death threats. in North Carolina, FEMA workers stopped knocking on doors Because they were afraid that militia members were after them. one in tennessee church group volunteer stood among them federal deputies and angry locals carrying guns. And at least one arrest, The death of a man armed with a rifle and handgun occurred in North Carolina.

The paranoia in whirlwind country, along with its underlying propensity for violence, is just the latest sign of new wrinkles in American gun ownership; something that scientists have begun to describe as gun culture 3.0. Version 1.0 is firearm ownership generally based on hunting. portrayed by a mythological Western frontier. Gun culture 2.0 focuses on self-defense, drawing on intense concerns about violent crime that emerged in the 1960s. Gun-owning Americans have been telling pollsters for years: The #1 reason they own a gun It is to protect themselves in dangerous situations.

But this broad motivation hides a shift in which many (though not all) gun owners now feel they need protection. I’m borrowing from the militia movement.identifies government persecution as the primary reason for firearm ownershipGun culture 3.0 is about the perceived political threats unleashed by those (whether rogue government agents or rogue private individuals) who are no longer invested in normal guardrails.

Of course, gun culture 3.0 raises the question of what will happen after November 5th. No matter what American voters do on election day, it’s hard to imagine a scenario that wouldn’t allow for violence.

Actually it has already started.

In Arizona where I live, Democratic Party office The hospital in Tempe has been hit three times in the past two months and has been closed this month, its staff worn out by the threat of gunfire. Inside Pima CountyThe Democratic office has reset its public hours in light of violent threats. It’s now so common for election workers to fear for their lives that the change barely makes the news.

Meanwhile, the two assassination attempts against former President Trump seem almost inconsequential. Even the first attempt, which was a near miss, failed to register – a survey A survey in the following days found that nearly 30 percent of Biden supporters (he was still in the race) downplayed the seriousness of the situation and suggested the attempt might have been planned. A similar group of Republicans feel the same about mass shootings.

Political violence and threats appear to be a feature of American politics, not a bug.

Although gun owners are slightly more likely than non-gun owners to believe that political violence is justified, are not more likely to express willingness to engage in such violence. Still, there is evidence that there may be specific subgroups of gun owners. By the way a recent study42% of assault-style gun owners and 56% of those who always or most of the time say political violence can be justified.

Such attitudes betray the right wing’s distrust of government and rigid embrace of the 2nd Amendment. But the same study reported that 44% of a different but potentially overlapping subgroup (new gun owners) also agreed that political violence could be justified. Disproportionately, new gun owners are women and people of color, and they tend to be liberal-leaning compared to existing gun owners. They, too, are part of the emerging gun culture 3.0.

Actually a to work A study published this summer in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that new gun owners are much more likely to be motivated by political concerns about protective power than other issues: They want protection during rallies and demonstrations, and they’re particularly concerned about violence from armed forces. People who do not share their political beliefs. Black gun owners (longstanding or new) are particularly concerned about police brutality.

These data points show that Americans across the spectrum are turning to firearms as a last-ditch effort to regain — as “bad feminist” and new gun owner Roxane Gay recently put it — “Ways to not get out of control.” And our divisive and insecure policies are driving them there.

Some think political violence resolves itself. “own worst enemy” because the response it creates renews people’s commitment to kindness and fundamental unity despite our differences. But waiting for political violence to bring Americans back from the brink of shock cannot be the only way to eliminate the division and fear behind gun culture 3.0.

When armed opponents approached aid workers after Hurricane Helene in Tennessee, the woman who stood between them listened to them. “People need to be heard. I said, ‘I hear you,'” he told a reporter. But he also pointed out what he could see with his own eyes: storm victims are being helped, not exploited.

we can depolarizing daily lifewe call out divisive behavior even among our political allies, label disinformation for what it is, and try to approach those “on the other side” with curiosity – no matter how difficult that may be. Maybe even compassion.

Neither gun ownership nor gun restrictions will address the underlying fear and polarization that fuels gun culture 3.0. We must address our faded capacity to live with each other.

Jennifer Carlson is the founding director of the Center for the Study of Guns in Society at Arizona State University and a 2022 MacArthur fellow.