Webinar Module 6 (of 7 total) on “Gun Violence and Prevention Strategies” is not until May 13th, but I will be spending the week of May 6th with family, so I need to work ahead.

As I have said many times before, I study American gun culture not gun violence or gun control, but these are important parts of the reality of guns in America that I need to cover. So I have been revisiting my previous blog posts on the topic to orient myself.

One relevant post I wrote back in March 2015 concerned “Kristin Goss on The (No Longer) Missing Movement for Gun Control in America?” Goss is a political scientist who studied the gun control movement in the wake of the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. In 2006, she published a book, Disarmed: The Missing Movement for Gun Control in America (Amazon affiliate link to purchase).

I won’t go into the details of Goss’s argument here — watch Module 6 of my webinar! — but I just want to note that in 2015 I wrote on this blog that recent history gave Goss:

“plenty of material for a follow-up volume on The No Longer Missing Movement for Gun Control in America.“

Although Goss has yet to write that book, in 2018 she did publish a chapter in a book on Gun Studies (Amazon affiliate link) called “Whatever happened to the ‘missing movement’? Gun control politics over two decades of change.”

In it, she systematically covers how the gun control movement evolved in ways that overcame its previous liabilities, including rebranding itself as the “gun violence prevention” or “gun safety” movement.

OK, I have to get back to preparing for webinar Module 6 now. Have a great weekend everyone!

By Camille Bosshard

The first time I shot a “real gun” two years ago, I felt scared. It was not lost on me that the object in my hands could end a life. However, after shooting the gun dozens of times over the course of an hour at a friend’s house with her brother, I felt surprisingly comfortable wielding a gun as my irrational fears of accidentally shooting someone subsided. On August 30th, I walked into the gun range in Mocksville with a moderate level of comfort and trust in myself. However, while I had shot a gun before, the length of time that had passed since the last time I wielded a gun led me to forget that shooting is surprisingly fun and also extremely difficult.

When I told my roommates I was going to a gun range for class, it prompted an interesting discussion that served as a useful primer to the overall experience. My roommate Grace expressed a perspective that many Americans possess when she said, “I just don’t understand why anyone would buy a gun if they are not in immediate danger.” Her thought process represents the view of a person who considers guns within the context of their primary purpose: to kill or injure. However, my experience at the gun range reminded me of another important aspect of shooting: it’s fun! I enjoy any type of competition or sport, and shooting reminded me of the hours I spent in high school practicing penalty kicks for soccer. If I had more free time on my hands, I can see myself practicing shooting to get better at hitting the target. I can imagine it is even more fun when you hit something like a deer and are able to bring it home and make jerky or hang up the head in your home. This realization helped me understand why people become gun owners and also normalized gun ownership in my mind.

Not all guns were equally as fun to shoot, though. I enjoyed shooting the AR-15 the most because it was the most accurate. This leads me to my second takeaway: shooting is very difficult.

While I enjoyed shooting, I also found it extremely challenging. I remember struggling to hit anything but the dirt the first time I shot a gun. It looks easy in the movies, but it takes much more skill to handle a gun than Tom Cruise lets on in Mission Impossible. Taking this into account, it makes sense that mass shooters would use the AR-15 over a handgun like the 22 pistol we shot. I have heard people say, “No one needs an AR-15,” which is true in that other guns can be used for sport to obtain the same end result, but the AR-15 is more accurate and fun to shoot.

When I told my friend Maggie, a member of ROTC at Wake, that we went to a shooting range, she asked, “Did you shoot an AR-15? Those are my favorite.” This comment led me to reflect on how the views of individuals who have actually handled a gun may differ dramatically from the views of people who have never touched a gun.

As mass shootings and killings have become more frequent in recent years, I have witnessed a rise in the demand for more restrictive gun safety laws amongst my peers and friends. I have sat across from students with computer stickers that portray an AR-15 above the caption “ban assault weapons” in many sociology and politics classes. I doubt the owners of these stickers could ever imagine saying an AR-15 is “fun.” In fact, many people talk about the AR-15 like it is inherently evil. My friend Maggie is not a radical pro-gun individual, she just has years of experience with guns due to her family’s military background, which makes her more comfortable with them. Like many Americans, she understands guns within the context of sport and national defense.

Personal experience heavily influences the gun-control policy debate. If Maggie had lost a family member or friend in the Uvalde shooting of 2022, during which the use of an AR-15 led to the death of 21 individuals, I doubt she would characterize an AR-15 as her “favorite gun.” On the other hand, I would not be surprised if most if not all owners of “ban assault weapons” stickers have never shot an assault weapon. After shooting an AR-15, I possess a greater understanding of the appeal of the gun as a weapon for sport, and I also cannot imagine witnessing a classmate enter my school with the intimidating weapon.

I left the gun range with a greater understanding of both sides of the multifaceted gun control debate. On one hand, I can see why responsible individuals enjoy shooting for sport, and I know the Constitutional grounds that grant these individuals this right. On the other hand, the guns were intimidating and loud, and I cannot imagine the trauma that an individual would experience after seeing the weapons used to end the life of a human being rather than to puncture a hole in a piece of paper. Rather than swaying me to be more or less “pro gun,” the experience caused me to feel more conflicted and confused about how I feel about guns. I look forward to breaking down the complexities of the arguments made for and against laws that aim to prevent gun violence and regulate gun ownership in class this semester.

By Isabella Montero

I had never once handled a firearm until I enrolled in this class. Growing up in the North, guns were not a part of my upbringing, and the very concept of owning one didn’t enter my world until I moved to the South. My parents strongly opposed firearms, which meant they were never present in our household. However, after relocating to the South, I became much more aware of the prevalence of guns in many homes.

I decided to take this class to gain a broader understanding of the widespread attitudes toward guns across the nation. The visit to the shooting range was a pivotal moment that allowed me to engage in informed discussions about firearms, armed with the experience of shooting one myself. If you had told me six years ago that I would be visiting a gun range for a class, I would have been uneasy. Nevertheless, my curiosity grew as I embraced the opportunity with the necessary knowledge and training.

The experience at the range was far more cathartic than I had initially imagined. This revelation surprised me, considering the negative associations with guns instilled in me during my childhood and the inherent risks they pose. Only when I took a trip to the range myself did I appeal of regular visits to a range. This field trip allowed me to gain a profound appreciation for the safety measures and precautions in place when handling firearms and the significance of adhering to these safety protocols.

I believe that more widespread and strict enforcement of these safety precautions would significantly change the negative perception surrounding firearms. While many responsible gun owners prioritize safety, recent events involving firearms have highlighted the lack of precaution exhibited by others.

Another aspect that struck me as surprising was the speed at which I could shoot rounds. While handling the AR-15, I shot ten rounds in what felt like a mere matter of seconds. This experience served as a stark reminder of the potential lethality of these firearms. Despite firing at a paper target during my time at the range, I realized that I had momentarily lost sight of these weapons’ true capacity and destructive potential. It was an eye-opening experience to recognize that the thirty rounds I had fired [from 3 different guns] had the potential to take a life, yet it was so easy. This experience served as a poignant reminder of the responsibility of handling such powerful tools.

While growing up is the time for your parents to shape you and your beliefs, this trip to the Veterans Range in Mocksville allowed me to have the ability to form my own opinions on guns and using them recreationally. It taught me that shooting can be fun and a productive way to relieve stress using proper safety precautions. I found this trip extremely informative, with concrete knowledge and practical experience. It also allowed me to be able to participate in discussions while having a solid foundation on how guns are used as a pastime. 

Some additional materials on this topic:

Walk the Talk America is doing great work at the intersection of guns and mental health.

My essay “What We Talk About When We Talk About ‘Gun Safety’” for The BulletPoints Project.

My take on Guns are Normal and Normal People Use Guns.

A longer presentation on the changing face of gun owners I gave to the Outdoor Writers Association of America.

By Connor Stanley

When I arrived at the gun range, I was oddly nervous for the next 45 minutes. Until this field trip, I had never touched a gun, let alone shot one. I watched all the training videos and took careful notes, but much like many aspects of life, you need to actually do it. I can watch as many videos as I want about gun safety, but actually shooting a gun is a very different experience.

When I first walked into the gun range, I could not believe its simplicity. Nothing much more than a little shack in the back, a fence, and a few signs about gun safety. That was it. I always imagined a gun range being “state of the art,” with heavy barriers separating every lane and shiny new targets for every participant. Again, it was nothing more than some pavement showing where each lane was, a mound of mud absorbing the bullet, and paper targets.

Something about this simplicity made me more nervous as everything we do has features to prevent injuries and mistakes. Cars made in 2022 have blindspot monitoring, lane sensors, and even a scanner that knows when the driver’s eyes are off the road. There were none of these new technologies: just the gun and the shooter, much like a 1980s car.

When I was handed the first gun, I was surprised by how heavy it was. I took my time getting comfortable holding it and trying to control my breathing. When I pulled the trigger, I hit the target and cursed simultaneously. When I apologized for cursing, Professor Yamane understood that my reaction was incredibly normal. I could not believe how fast the bullet traveled and how loud the gun was. However, what disturbed me was how accurate it was. Yes, I would like to consider myself a good athlete and somewhat coordinated. However, the fact that I hit the metal target 9 out of 10 times really scared me. My mind just went to the worst-case scenario: what if someone who shouldn’t have a gun has one? I know I should not think like this, but unfortunately, we live in a society where gun-related atrocities occur frequently.

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience. I never thought I would shoot a gun before because no one in my family owns a gun and has never expressed any interest in going to a range. I think part of the reason I was so nervous going to the range was that I had only heard about guns negatively. It seems like every time I turn on the news, there is some tragedy involving guns. After going to the range, I frankly don’t know where I stand on guns. I better understood the appeal of having and shooting a gun as I left the range with a huge smile and so much energy.

However, for the time being, I cannot get the inner voice about how dangerous these objects are out of my head. Thanks to Professor Yamane’s expertise and patience, everything went incredibly smoothly. I think everyone in my group had a wonderful experience. However, I know that not every gun user practices this type of gun safety. I think the more someone uses a gun, the less they worry about how deadly they are. This could be an inaccurate thought, but I think of shooting a gun as like cooking in an oven. The first time I used an oven, I was very afraid of burning myself. However, after a few uses, these fears subsided very quickly. I feel like shooting a gun is similar. A gun owner may feel like a pro and skip some steps in gun safety.

I cannot express how much fun I had at the range. It was something I will never forget. Now, I have to do some deeper thinking about guns in our country. I think this field trip reaffirmed some of my thoughts about how guns are a part of our country, and that they are not going anywhere. I can accept this. Will I ever personally own a gun? Probably not, but I am not as afraid of holding one now. I think, as a country, we need to understand the power of these machines. As someone who was very nervous about going to a range and shooting a gun, I understand why people enjoy it now. However, I would hope that someone who is a gun owner could understand why others have differing views about gun regulation.

Tomorrow, in connection with my Light Over Heat YouTube channel, I will discuss this year’s field trip at greater length.

Today, I am seeking a modest amount of financial support for the field trip. Last year Lucky Gunner ammo donated 200 rounds of each of the three calibers the students shot. This year I did not have an opportunity to solicit donations in advance of the field trip, so I have created a “goal” on my Buy Me a Coffee page if you would like to contribute to my range expense fund. Or you can contribute through PayPal using the “donate” link below.

Including ammunition, hearing and eye protection, bench rest bags, a training consultation, and other supplies, I am at least $500 into this field trip. Anything contributed over this amount I will put toward next year’s (anticipated) class field trip.

Thank you for your support of my work.

A recent editorial in the American Journal of Public Health included gun educator Rob Pincus and the definition it proposes is more adequate to the reality of how responsible gun owners want to store (and stage) their firearms at home.

As I discuss in this week’s Episode 8 of “Light Over Heat,” the sort of dialogue and collaboration that yielded this editorial may be a good path to promoting light over heat on the issue of guns.

Background to this week’s episode is that I appeared on the Red, Blue and Brady podcast last summer to talk about new gun owners and Gun Culture 2.0 and the hosts were very professional. One of the hosts, J.J. Janflone, said if I was ever in DC I should come by the Brady offices, so when I was there in January I took her up on her offer.

I had a very interesting and productive conversation with several Brady staff, in particular about the “End Family Fire” initiative and the issue of safe storage of firearms. They define “family fire” as “a shooting involving an improperly stored or misused gun in the home that results in death or injury.“

Although we disagree about the correct definition of safe storage, the goal of reducing “family fire” via safe storage is something many can agree on. And that’s a start.

Please surf over to my “Light Over Heat” YouTube channel and SUBSCRIBE to follow, RING THE BELL to receive notifications, and SHARE so others can learn about this work.

As I have noted previously, people within the gun culture tend to focus on safety WITH guns, while people from the gun control or gun violence prevention side focus on safety FROM guns.

This is my focus in Episode 7 of “Light Over Heat.”

As examples of safety WITH guns, I mention: the emphasis on safe gun handling by professionals in the gun training community (like John Johnston), the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Project Childsafe and Own It? Respect It. Secure It, the NRA’s Range Safety Officer certification, Derek LeBlanc’s Kids S.A.F.E. Foundation, Michael Sodini’s Walk the Talk America, and Sarah Joy Albrecht’s Hold My Guns. There are many others I could have named.

As examples of safety FROM guns, I mention public health research on guns as risk factors for death and injury, Igor Volsky’s Guns Down America, and the organization Scrubs Against the Firearm Epidemic (SAFE).

Please surf over to my “Light Over Heat” YouTube channel and SUBSCRIBE to follow, RING THE BELL to receive notifications, and SHARE so others can learn about this work.

This is the eighth and final final reflection essays, written by a student whose initial reflections on our field trip to the gun range can be found here. (Link to the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh reflection essays.)

By Grace Taylor

This class has made me think a lot about the role of guns in society, gun culture, and gun safety, as well as why different groups are so divided about whether the fact that so many people own guns is a good thing or a bad thing, and how we can make gun ownership less dangerous.

As I write this, it is hard to think about everything we read and talked about in class and not think about the terrible school shooting in Michigan last week, where parents bought their son a gun for a Christmas present, and then he went to school and used it to kill four of his classmates. I realize that these kinds of people are not the “normal” gun owners, and that millions and millions of people own and use guns safely and responsibly, but it is hard to think about the role of guns in society and not let the Michigan shooting, and all the school shootings before it, influence my thoughts.

I learned a lot this semester through our readings and our speakers, but I am not sure I completely “changed my mind” about guns in general. Going back to our field trip to the range, one thing that really stuck with me was just how dangerous the guns seemed when seeing them up close, and eventually using them. Firing them, especially the AR-15, felt intense, even violent, and it is not something that I particularly want to do again. We spent so much time on safety, and all the risks of shooting a gun, and I was very impressed by how good those rules were. But my first thought back then was that, if we need so many rules to treat guns safely, doesn’t that show how dangerous they really are, and do we think most people are going to be strict enough or smart enough to follow those rules.

That was also my reaction to several of our speakers. I respected how serious John Johnson and Melody Lauer were about training people to use guns safely. I respected how Rob Pincus wants gun-rights groups to be more honest about the dangers of “guns in the everyday,” and how he works with mental-health professionals to deal with the role of guns in youth suicide and other difficult situations. But I could never quite understand how they could be so clear about the risks and dangers of guns, and still be so enthusiastic about millions and millions of people owning guns as part of their everyday lives.

In general, I just could never understand or relate to this great excitement about guns, how guns are so tied up in people’s sense of culture and identity, and why people seem to need to own guns to somehow show the world who they are. There is a difference between saying owning a gun is a right, or shooting guns at a range is fun, and being so enthusiastic about people being able to do concealed carry of guns as they go into town or go shopping, because it makes them feel good or makes them feel safer.

The relationship between guns and personal safety is another thing I did not quite understand. Several of the articles we read, and several of the speakers we heard, talked about how people carry guns because they are so worried about the risk of crime and violence and threats to their personal safety: “No one needs a gun until they do” [quoting John Johnston]. But when I read interviews with these gun enthusiasts, or watched some of the videos we used in class, they seem to have such an extreme view of the dangers in society, like that there is a robber or a killer just waiting to attack them every time they leave the house. Every time I found this opinion, I wondered if they really believed that. Also, if gun-rights advocates are so concerned about risk, why aren’t they more concerned about all the risks of widespread gun ownership, from negligence, to accidental shootings, to mass shootings, to guns and mental health. I know all of our speakers were very worried about this kind of risk, and they have great training to help people deal with those risks, but pro-gun politicians do not seem to be, and so many laws are making it easier and easier for people to carry guns without training.

All of these issues about guns, personal safety, and what is happening with the current legislature came together for me in my final paper. In other sociology classes, I have looked at how to best try to address the problem of domestic abuse and intimate partner violence, and how to keep women and children safer and help them leave abusive relationships. Because of my prior knowledge on the problem of intimate partner violence, I thought it made sense for me to look at the role that guns play in the problem. The research was so clear that if there is a gun in the house, or if an abuser has access to a gun, the risk of the woman being killed by her abusive partner goes way up. With a gun, it is so much more likely that intimate partner violence turns into intimate partner homicide.

Yet the federal and state laws that could be used to protect women and children, and get guns out of the hands of abusers, are not nearly as strong as they should be, and the enforcement of the laws is weak and inconsistent. My paper talks about the Boyfriend Loophole and the Stalking Loophole in the federal laws. These are such obvious problems, but Congress has not been able to fix them in 20 years. State laws can be stronger, but there are still many states where judges and police cannot order guns to be removed from a home where abuse is taking place, and there are other states where guns can be removed but do not have to be removed. Again, I just do not understand how, if gun-rights advocates are so concerned about personal safety, they would not be doing everything they can to support laws to get guns out of the hands of abusers who threaten women and children.

In this class, I learned to respect people like John Johnston and Melody Lauer, Rob Pincus, and all the outside speakers who were so serious about minimizing the risks and dangers of gun ownership and maximizing safety. I still don’t understand their enthusiasm for guns, and I don’t agree with it, but I think if their view was more common, we could create a safer society, and deal with problems like the connection between guns, domestic abuse, and intimate partner homicide.

Pro-gun control organizations, I wrote, promote safety FROM guns. Because they view guns only as a risk factor for injury or death, the safest approach to guns is to avoid them altogether.

Recognizing that some people will own guns nonetheless, the next line of safety is to make it as hard as possible for people to access them — whether in terms of ownership in the first place, or in terms of storing guns unloaded and/or disassembled with ammunition stored separately. This is a sort of safety WITH-ish and FROM-ish guns position.

On Twitter recently, I saw a prominent gun control activist represent both of the safety FROM-ish and the safety FROM positions in a matters of hours. (I have blurred out her Twitter handle because her particular identity isn’t as important as the broader position she represents.)

And after a night’s sleep and some further thought, first thing in the morning:

Although I don’t agree with her position, I appreciate her honesty. Rather than #GunSafety I do think many gun violence prevention organizations would be more honest if they used #SafetyFROMGuns or #GunsDontMakeUsSafer or #GunFreeHomes as their hashtags.