Attitudes Toward Guns and Violence Questionnaire (ATGVQ)

You’ve got to fight to show people you’re not a wimp.

If someone disrespects me, I have to fight them to get my pride back.

Carrying a gun makes people feel safe.

Carrying a gun makes people feel powerful and strong.

If people are nice to me I’ll be nice to them, but if someone stops me from getting what I want, they’ll pay for it bad.

I’d like to have a gun so that people would look up to me.

It would be exciting to hold a loaded gun in my hand.

I wish there weren’t any guns in my neighborhood.

I bet it would feel real cool to walk down the street with a gun in my pocket.

I’d feel awful inside if someone laughed at me and I didn’t fight them.

It would make me feel really powerful to hold a loaded gun in my hand.

Most people feel nervous around someone with a gun and they want to get away from that person.

The people I respect would never go around with a gun because they’re against hurting people.

I think it would be fun to play around with a real gun.

If someone insults me or my family, it really bothers me, but if I beat them up, that makes me feel better.

If somebody insults you, and you don’t want to be a chump, you have to fight.

I don’t like people who have guns because they might kill someone.

A kid who doesn’t get even with someone who makes fun of him is a sucker.

Belonging to a gang makes kids feel safe because they’ve got people to back them up.

If I acted the way teachers think I should out on the street, people would think I was weak and I’d get pushed around.

I wish everyone would get rid of all their guns.

I don’t like being around people with guns because someone could end up getting hurt.

Kids in gangs feel like they’re part of something powerful.