Do you trust the government?

I’m not asking if you trust the Joe Biden government or anything like that, but do you trust the government in general? I have an inherent distrust of any large institution that has power over our daily lives–more accurately, I have a distrust of people who might opt to seek high positions in those institutions because those who do are often after power for the sake of power–while others trust that the government will never cross the line.

After the last handful of years, I have no idea how anyone thinks that way, but whatever.

However, a new study links distrust in the government with distrust in gun control. At least, it does in part.

Trust in the federal government plays a key role in shaping Republicans’ attitudes toward gun control, according to a new study published in Political Behavior. The findings indicate that Republicans who trust the government are much more likely to back gun control reforms. Notably, the research also highlights that partisanship is a stronger influence than political ideology when it comes to shaping Americans’ views on gun control policies, suggesting that attitudes toward gun reform are more driven by party loyalty and cues from political leaders than by deeply held ideological beliefs.

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Previous research has consistently shown that Democrats tend to support gun control measures more strongly than Republicans, who are generally more inclined to expand gun rights. However, the new study sought to examine whether trust in the government influences these partisan divides, particularly since Republicans are often more skeptical of government intervention.

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“We wanted to explore whether trust in the federal government affects support for gun reform differently among Republicans and Democrats, whether that relationship was different than between trust and political ideology, and what this could mean for advancing gun control policies.”

I have no doubt that at least many Democrats support gun control because they tend to listen to other people who do and if you don’t know any better, those arguments sound good. In short, they’re loyal to the party and that helps shape their views.

I also don’t doubt that at least some Republicans are in the same boat.

But the idea Republicans who trust the government are more likely to support gun control isn’t exactly a shocking revelation. Well, it’s a bit of a revelation.

The idea that Republicans who don’t trust the government are less likely to support gun control is kind of like running a headline that reads, “BREAKING! Sky is blue, grass is green.”

Of course those of us with a mistrust of the government aren’t going to be fans of the idea of letting them be the only ones with the guns. I know when I mistrust people, I want to entrust them not just act appropriately but also to maintain my safety from the actions of others. I see governmental entities in general as incompetent sociopaths, so that’s not happening.

So yeah, I’m going to be distrustful of the government and hold onto my guns.

But what’s troubling is that people who claim to value rights at all are fine with the government taking them even if they trust the government completely. Our rights aren’t based on whether we trust the government or not. Even if you have absolute trust in the government as it stands today, what kind of fool assumes that the status quo will always be maintained?

Never trust a governmental body under any president or leadership with power you wouldn’t trust your worst enemy with.

And restrictions on our right to keep and bear arms is, in fact, trusting them with power.