Gun Control: What Goes on in Your Brain

Arguments for and against gun control are polarized at two opposite ends of a broad spectrum: personal liberties and social benefits. Brazil has introduced a referendum regarding the prohibition of firearm commerce and propaganda arguments, similar to the present ongoing discussion in the U.S. It has invoked socially and personally driven issues in the promotion of voting in favor of and against firearm control, respectively. Here, we used electroencephalography (EEG) technology to study the brain activity associated with a voter’s perception one week prior to Election Day, of the truthfulness of these arguments and their influence on voting decisions. The present results clearly showed that this decision was not influenced by arguments that were introduced by propaganda, which were typically driven by specific social and self-interest motives. In addition, different neural circuits were identified in the analysis of arguments for and against gun control.