Hoplophobia

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Hoplophobia, (pronounced [ˌhɔpləˈfoʊbiə]), from the Greek hoplon, or weapon, is defined as the "fear of firearms" [1] or alternatively, a fear of weapons in general, and describes a specific phobia.

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[edit] Political usage

Firearms instructor Colonel Jeff Cooper coined the word in 1962 to describe a "mental disturbance characterized by irrational aversion to weapons". [2] Cooper employed the clinical-sounding term as an alternative to slang terms, stating: "We read of 'gun grabbers' and 'anti-gun nuts' but these slang terms do not (explain this behavior)." Cooper attributed this behavior to the irrational fear of firearms and other forms of weaponry. He stated that "the most common manifestation of hoplophobia is the idea that instruments possess a will of their own, apart from that of their user."

Despite the clinical term, the word is generally used to describe gun control advocates, who may or may not have a genuine fear of guns, but rather wish to ban guns as a deterrent to violent crime. In these cases the term is a misnomer, because the fear is not of the weapon, but of criminals who can and do use weapons. It is mildly derogatory, less so than similar slang terms such as those mentioned above. It is most commonly used as a pejorative by gun rights advocates.

Some admirers of Cooper's coinage have sought to popularize the counterpart terminology, hoplophilia for an affection towards guns which verges on or achieves a fullblown paraphilia. [3]

[edit] Clinical usage

However, in spite of the political connotation of the term, there is a possibility for a person to have this phobia in a purely clinical sense. For instance, a patient that has no opinion on law or public policy per se, but becomes terrified when they notice a policemen's sidearm or a photograph of a rifle or knife. Such a phobia may be present, for instance, in someone who suffers from PTSD in relation to a traumatic experience involving a firearm. Hoplophobia is described as an uncommon phobia in Contemporary Diagnosis And Management of Anxiety Disorders [4].

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Segen, Joseph C: Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine, Page 307. McGraw-Hill Medical, 2005. ISBN 0838515355
  2. ^ "The root of the evil", "To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak The Truth", Jeff Cooper, Gunsite Press, 1990. ISBN 0873649737
  3. ^ http://www.panikon.com/phurba/articles/propose.html E. R. Gendler, "Proposed New Words for the English Language"
  4. ^ Nina, Philip T; Dunlop, Broadie W: Contemporary Diagnosis And Management of Anxiety Disorders, Page 107. Handbooks in Health Care, 2006. ISBN 1931981620

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