- Hoplophobia
Hoplophobia, (pronounced [IPA|ˌhɔpləˈfoʊbiə] ), from the Greek "
hoplon ", or weapon, is defined as the "fear of firearms" [Segen, Joseph C: "Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine", Page 307. McGraw-Hill Medical, 2005. ISBN 0838515355] or alternatively, a fear of weapons in general, and describes aspecific phobia .Political usage
Firearms instructor Colonel Jeff Cooper coined the word in 1962 to describe a "mental disturbance characterized by irrational aversion to weapons". [" [http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/Misc/hoplophobia The root of the evil] ", "To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak The Truth", Jeff Cooper, Gunsite Press, 1990. ISBN 0873649737] 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. 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.Clinical usage
In spite of the political origins and connotation of the term, it has clinical usage, and a patient may be diagnosed with this phobia. For instance, a patient that has no opinion on law or public policy per se but becomes terrified upon noticing a policeman's sidearm, or a photograph of a rifle or knife, may be a hoplophobe. Such a phobia may be present in someone who suffers from
PTSD as a result of a traumatic experience involving a firearm. Hoplophobia is described as an uncommon phobia in "Contemporary Diagnosis And Management of Anxiety Disorders" [Nina, Philip T; Dunlop, Broadie W: "Contemporary Diagnosis And Management of Anxiety Disorders", Page 107. Handbooks in Health Care, 2006. ISBN 1931981620] .Notes and references
External links
* [http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,575039935,00.html "Gun-rights group touts new 'word"'] , Dennis Romboy, "
Deseret Morning News ",December 29 ,2003
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