How Does Fear Shape the Gun Debate?

Dax Shepard says liberals and conservatives split on guns for the same reason: fear. One side fears the other person who has the gun. The other side is scared enough to want the gun.

A friend from the South gave him that framing, and Dax says it broke his own polarization. In one election it hit him that people are not voting for what they want. They vote to address what terrifies them. For liberals, that includes global warming. Conservatives are afraid of other things. Seeing both groups as afraid made him much more compassionate toward people he disagrees with, because he sees they are afraid, 100 percent.

He says confrontation and anger are the worst strategy for dealing with someone who disagrees. If a person is scared and you yell, that does not solve the problem. They ratchet higher into fight or flight.