Hoplophobia

Hoplophobia (from ancient Greek ὅπλον hoplon , German 'weapon' , ancient Greek φόβος phóbos , German 'fear' ) is the fear of firearms or the fear of armed citizens.

Gun instructor and author Jeff Cooper claimed to have coined the term in 1962 to describe a "mental disorder characterized by an irrational aversion to weapons". Although he was not a psychologist , Cooper used it as an alternative to slang expressions: "We read of 'gun grabbers' and 'anti-gun nuts' but these slang terms do not (explain this behavior)." Cooper called this behavior an irrational one Fear of firearms and other types of weapons, and explained the idea that objects have a will of their own different from that of their owner as the most common form of hoplophobia. In a comment in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, columnist Dimitri Vassilaros claimed the term was introduced into public discussion by Cooper to poke fun at those who believe guns have a will of their own.

The meaning and usage as interpreted by Cooper does not correspond to the medical definition of a real phobia , but more that of a delusion . True medical phobias about firearms and other weapons exist but are very rare and manifest differently.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Joseph Segen: Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine . McGraw-Hill, New York 2006, ISBN 0-8385-1535-5 , hoplophobia PSYCHOLOGY Fear of firearms. Lake Phobia , S. 307 .
2. ^ Ninan Dunlop: Contemporary Diagnosis and Management of Anxiety Disorders . Handbooks in Health Care, Pennsylvania 2006, ISBN 1-931981-62-0 , Table 7-1 Names of Some Phobias ... Unusual ... Hoplophobia-fear of firearms , pp. 107 .
3. ↑ Dylan Evans, Pierre Cruse: Emotion, evolution, and rationality . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-852898-1 , pp. 145 : While we believe that certain strong innate fears dispose one to phobias, we do not mead to imply that all phobias arise from innate fears. The phobic fear of guns, hoplophobia, for example, presumably does not arise from an innate fear, but rather reflects the highly salient danger of these weapons in contemporary environments
4. ↑ David Kopel: The licensing of concealed handguns for lawful protection: support from five state Supreme Courts . In: Albany Law Review . tape 68 , no. 2 , 2005, The precise term for such fears is "hoplophobia" (fear of armed citizens) , p. 305 ( online ).
5. ↑ Jeff Cooper: Jeff Cooper's Commentaries. Vol. 5 No. June 7 , 1997.
6. ^ The root of the evil ( Memento June 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive ). Jeff Cooper: To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak The Truth. Gunsite Press, 1990, ISBN 0-87364-973-7 .
7. ↑ thesconce.com
8. ↑ Bloomberg's hoplophobia. (No longer available online.) In: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. January 8, 2006; archived from the original on February 14, 2012 ; Retrieved March 28, 2011 : "Hoplophobia is a tongue-in-cheek neurosis" discovered "in 1962 by firearms instructor Jeff Cooper to mock those who think guns have free will. Or any will for that matter “ Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
9. ^ Ninan Dunlop: Contemporary Diagnosis and Management of Anxiety Disorders . Handbooks in Health Care, Pennsylvania 2006, ISBN 1-931981-62-0 , Table 7-1 Names of Some Phobias ... Unusual ... Hoplophobia-fear of firearms , pp. 107 .

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !