I’m curious. Have any of your students been “triggered” by the range trip? Are any affected emotionally by shooting a firearm for the first time? Have you had students refuse to participate?

These are great questions that I am happy to answer.

The field trip is mandatory but the shooting is voluntary. In previous years, when everyone in the class (16 students) attended in one group, about 2/3 to 3/4 of the students opted to shoot.

The participation rate was lowest when we went to an indoor range because some students decide in the moment whether they want to shoot or not. As you probably know, indoor ranges are not the most sonically welcoming environments.

Due to COVID, last year I took just 4 students at a time and EVERYONE shot. I think being outdoors in a smaller group made the situation less intimidating. Even though COVID is less of a concern this year, I am still going to do the small groups for this reason.

Students are only rarely negatively triggered. This may be because I pre-screen students for the class, letting them know that the field trip is mandatory and telling them that if they have strongly negative personal experiences with firearms, the class may be challenging for them. I have had just a couple of students in the past ask to sit out the discussion of suicide do to previous trauma.

On the other hand, I have had many students who experience the cognitive dissonance of disliking guns going in and enjoying the experience of shooting. You can get a flavor for this in the reflections students write after the field trip, some of which I post on my blog(s).

From last year, for example:

The collected posts from the class dating back to 2015 are available HERE.

revisit your previous personal experience with and understanding of guns in the U.S. (as expressed, e.g., in the field trip reflection essay) in light of your consideration of the role guns actually do play in American society. Reflecting on what you learned from completing your major writing assignment, as well as the class more generally, discuss how your mind has (and/or has not) changed. Conclude this paper by considering what more you need to know in order to make informed choices about your own participation with and the place of guns in the communities in which you live and will live in the future.

Here is the sixth and final of several such essays (see the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth), written by a student whose initial reflections on our field trip to the gun range can be found here.

By Juliana Smith

I started this class with virtually no knowledge about guns. I had never seen one up close, the thought of holding one terrified me, and I had absolutely no idea why there was such strong opposition to increased gun control measures in the United States, when it seems like there is news of a school shooting every other week. While I had my own opinion about guns going into the class, and favored measures that would restrict a citizen’s ability to purchase weapons like assault rifles, I was not entirely sure how far my stance on guns went either way and I was eager to learn more about a culture that is so prevalent in the United States and so subdued in my home country of Canada. I wanted to know more, I wanted to be able to do more when it came to dealing with gun violence, and I wanted to be able to have informed discussions and make informed choices when it came to talking about the topic.

The trip to the gun range was where the first shift in my opinion on guns began, despite not shooting the gun and being quite fearful of the guns themselves during the trip, the gun became less of an abstract, scary object in my mind. The staff at ProShots were responsible and communicated a clear desire to obey all regulations and maximize community safety, and their insistence on communicating that surprised me, since most media portrayals of those against gun control measures seem to suggest that these people “don’t care as much” about the violence plaguing the nation as those who do favor stricter gun laws. Richard Talbert’s descriptions of why he was against more auditing of gun stores, along with proposed restrictions on firearm sales allowed me to have a broader understanding of the opposition to gun control in the United States. While at first, I thought I would never be able to understand the logic or reasoning behind those who did not want further gun restrictions, I was able to understand and appreciate his justification on the matter.

The trip to the gun range also allowed me to gain more of an insight into the gun culture in the US as a whole, and how going to the gun range to shoot for a short bit of time on a regular basis was a much more normalized process than I ever thought it could be. It helped me understand not only the gun culture, but also reasons why some individuals are more resistant to gun control measures in the United States. Not only do guns serve as a tool for the protection of one’s family, they are also used in a multitude of normalized activities in the United States, like hunting and going to the gun range recreationally, and the “taking away of guns” could threaten families from having those experiences that can bring them together. While it was easy for me to not see that impact that guns would have in that sense, as they are not a part of my family life, this experience allowed me to understand other facets to the opposition on gun control, which I did not understand prior to this class.

Throughout the class my stance on guns evolved even further, especially through the different speakers that came to class. All of these speakers have much more knowledge about guns than I do, and while many of them had different opinions on gun control than I do, their comments changed the way I thought about guns and how to tackle gun violence in the United States. It was through these interactions, especially with the speakers that I had different views with, that I feel like learned the most and changed the most. I came into this class with the desire to learn more about the other side of the gun control debate and figure out what makes people defend guns so staunchly in the United States, and I feel that these speakers in class really did just that.

When Rob Pincus spoke about his resistance to hard-line gun policies and the sentiments of others in the “gun camp” when it came to increased government involvement in civilian affairs, I was able to grasp the messages that he, and other gun owners, were getting at, and at some points even agreeing with his logic, something that really surprised me, just like it did with Richard Talbert. Furthermore, the disdain for the NRA that was expressed by many of these speakers was also particularly refreshing. A lot of people, myself included prior to this class, really believe that the NRA furthers and promotes the ideologies of the majority of gun owners in the United States. I strongly disagree with a lot of what the NRA puts out there, and most likely always will, but I was always unsettled with the thought that an organization that I disagreed with represented such a large group of Americans. To see that this really is no longer the case and that many in the gun community view the NRA as an almost extreme organization soothed me to a certain degree. It made me feel less confused and less pessimistic about the gun community as a whole.

I started my reflection in this class wondering why some in the gun community are opposed to gun control policies, assuming that their logic was similar to that of the NRA, and after realizing that in most cases that is not true, I was able to feel better about the gun community as a whole. I never held any sort of ill will towards any members of the gun community, but I was more confused and upset with the rhetoric of the NRA thinking that it represented the whole community, and I was pleased to see that it is not the case. Additionally, the conversation that Rob Pincus had about the framing of the gun control debate was something that I thought was one of the most important conversations we had all semester. Everyone in the United States knows that there are issues with gun violence in the nation and everyone wants that violence to subside, but finding a common ground and coming up with policy to fix that has evaded us. I at times have struggled being able to have conversations about gun control, especially when people are having the conversations right after a mass shooting or tragedy, without letting my emotions or confusion on the situation disrupt the conversation. I think that by Rob stressing the importance of finding common ground with individuals in the “middle ground” was extremely important, and not something that I had really given much thought to before. Idealistically, I believed that we could have everyone across the spectrum to find one common policy and agree on it, but after hearing Rob’s logic, and learning more about both sides of the debate through our readings in class, I understand that this is not really a possibility. There will always be people on both sides of the debate that will not be swayed to see any of where the other side is coming from so focusing on an approach that appeals to everyone is not the most efficient or productive way with dealing with the issue. Now that I have come to terms with that reality, I am able to look at the gun control debate, and what my own suggestions for reducing gun violence in the United States in a different way.

While writing my final paper and comparing gun control in Canada and the United States, my opinion on guns and gun control probably had the most dramatic shift. While I still believe that Canada’s gun control measures are more effective than measures in the United States, I began to see different facets about gun control’s limitations along with the cultural significance of guns in the United States. Reading extensively about the spiritual and historical impact that guns have had on American society has changed the way that I view about guns as an object themselves. In all honesty, prior to teaching this class I thought that it was kind of silly how intensely protective some Americans got when it came to their guns, because I was not aware of the greater significance they held in society. After understanding the spiritual connection that many Americans have with guns, and their connection to freedom and individual liberty in the United States, I was able to view the gun as not just a tool, but something that does mean something to a lot of people, enhancing my view on why there is opposition to gun control in the first place. Additionally, though writing this paper, I learned a lot about the potential limitations that gun control policies can have and how gun control measures do not fully solve the problem like I may have thought earlier. While I still favor stricter gun laws, I know that there needs to be other initiatives implemented in the United States and other countries, like mental health awareness initiatives, to help deal with a lot of the surrounding issues that contribute to gun violence in the world.

Overall, my stance on guns has remained the same in some respects and changed in others. I still would prefer if citizens were not allowed to have assault weapons and I do think that more gun control legislation needs to be put in place in an attempt to try to deal with the gun violence problems that exist in the United States. However, through the major writing assignment, along with discussions with speakers like Rob Pincus, I have gained an understanding about framing the whole discussion, and the limitations that gun control can have. Essentially, guns still scare me I do not think I will ever own one of my own, which has not changed since the beginning of the semester, but I do have a much greater appreciation for the significance that they have in so many people’s lives and understand a lot more than I did prior to taking this class about the “other side” of the debate. This class has helped me understand the whole gun culture in the United States and has helped me understand more about gun culture in Canada as well, which has really peaked my interest in terms of studying guns, their impact on society, and gun violence even further.

But, I still do not think my journey with understanding gun culture and guns is even close to being complete. I still have a lot of questions about the industry and the culture as whole, and I think that there is still a lot of room to grown in my own opinion about gun control. I want to know more about the specifics of the policy proposals that each side of the debate has, I want a more extensive knowledge about the guns themselves and how they work, along with the different types of guns that are common in the United States and I want to learn more about the ways that we can help effectively reduce gun violence in our communities that does not require actual legislation to be passed. Gun violence is a very serious issue in the United States, and I think that it is important that we as citizens take measures into our own hands as well to deal with the issue. It should not just be up to legislators to solve the problems for us, we need to make a conscious effort as well and that’s why I want to learn about the impact we can make in our own communities so badly.

revisit your previous personal experience with and understanding of guns in the U.S. (as expressed, e.g., in the field trip reflection essay) in light of your consideration of the role guns actually do play in American society. Reflecting on what you learned from completing your major writing assignment, as well as the class more generally, discuss how your mind has (and/or has not) changed. Conclude this paper by considering what more you need to know in order to make informed choices about your own participation with and the place of guns in the communities in which you live and will live in the future.

Here is the third of several such essays (see the first and second), written by a student whose initial reflections on our field trip to the gun range can be found here.

By Kristen Guyler

When I first decided to take Sociology of Guns, I was not really sure what to expect. I wasn’t sure whether the class would be polarized and filled with debates, or it would be more of an informative class. Either way, I was terrified of guns. Since I had never seen a gun besides on an officer’s hip, I was pretty sheltered from the gun world in many ways. My only interaction with guns was seeing and reading about the mass shootings that have occurred throughout the United States. This interaction, in a way, blinded me to the other aspects of guns and their role in society; I perceived guns as being one-hundred percent dangerous, no exceptions.  So, through the class, I was rather surprised to learn about the roles guns have in the society and all of the ways that guns are beneficial. Consequently, I have become less terrified of guns and I appreciate their uses more. Overall, Sociology of Guns has provided me with a broader understanding of guns, gun culture and their various roles in society.

Prior to even beginning class, our trip to the gun range was really informative as we learned about the ways in which people obtain guns. In my first reflection, I discussed my concern with the fact there was no mandatory training; I found it completely irresponsible and just outright absurd. But, through our classes and guest speakers, I began to see that it is not as black-and-white as I made it out to be. Training people to use firearms is actually really challenging for both the instructors and the students. While my perspective on training and gun safety has changed, I am still appalled that the FBI only has 3 days to conduct a background check before a firearm is sold legally. I think this time is simply too short and it is unrealistic to think a government agency, which probably receives hundreds of applications daily or weekly, could determine someone’s “fitness” to own a gun that quickly. I would have wanted to learn more about peoples’ responses to the process of obtaining a gun and how stricter requirements would affect the number of lives lost to gun violence.

The gun range, as also mentioned in my first reflection, made me aware that guns are no more than a commodity– anyone interested in obtaining a gun can go into a shop, touch the guns and pick which one they want. This was the first time I caught myself saying, “wow guns are kind of normal and must not be as terrifying to others as they are to me.” Through our discussions about guns’ role in suicide, politics, police force and homicide, just to name a few topics, my perception of guns changed as I not only saw the multiple roles guns but also realized that these roles extend far beyond the rhetoric we hear regularly on the news and from various politicians.

I think it is important to point out that learning about Gun Culture 1.0 and Gun Culture 2.0 in the beginning of the semester, caused me to step back and see the evolution of guns’ roles in American culture and society. By analyzing Gun Culture 1.0, I began to see that from the beginning of time, guns played a vital role, as they enabled people to hunt for food. As time as progressed, and we have shifted to Gun Culture 2.0, guns are used more for self-defense, which in cases, can save people’s lives. Thus, from the beginning of class, I gained a broader perspective and understanding of guns, their place in society and how we can not objectively claim all guns are bad.

Although I appreciated our discussions every class, the class topics that stood out to me most, and that I enjoyed most, were the ones on concealed carry, police use of force and suicide. In terms of concealed carry, the clothing/carrying options and the gender aspect were particularly interesting. As someone who thinks everyone is bad, I always carry pepper spray in my shorts/legging pockets when I go for a run. So when we were talking in class about conceal carry in everyday life and looking at clothing options to conceal carry, I remember thinking, “how do you run with a gun if a gun is your means of protection?” It never even dawned on me that people would want to carry a gun while they run and that there would be so many obstacles to do so. Moreover, from a more gendered standpoint, I never really thought that women would encounter so many issues when choosing to carry a gun; I just assumed they would have them on their hip like most men do. But, through our conversations, I became aware this was not the case and women, seemingly, were trying to find other ways to conceal carry their weapons. It never even occurred to me that there would be a market for women’s wear to conceal carry weapons so hearing about the market, and seeing some of the challenges, i.e. being able to quickly get it, was eye-opening.

Another topic I found to be fascinating was firearm-related suicide. From the sad stories in my town, to my friends telling me stories at their colleges, it always seemed like those who wanted to commit suicide would either overdose or cut themselves. But, I did not ever really think about guns as playing a significant role in suicide, even though it makes sense they would be used most often because they have the quickest, most desired effect. I guess I did not think that guns were so readily available for people to use to kill themselves. I wish we could have read a study that looked at whether families did more to secure a gun if they knew their family or friend was depressed. Regardless of these minor limitations, I had never really thought of the impact that gun accessibility had on someone’s decision to shoot themselves. I always assumed that if someone wanted to kill themselves, they would find a way, ignoring the possibility that sometimes one’s decision to kill themselves may be impulsive. This impulsivity, when coupled with an available gun, leads to more suicide. This made me realize that it is so important to properly store guns as it could help save someone’s life.

In addition to concealed carry and suicide, police use of force was probably the most interesting topic to me, which is why I decided to write my paper on it. As I already mentioned, I am a pretty skeptical person and I think that most people are bad or scary, including officers. I always fear officers and become particularly anxious when they are in my neighborhood in Winston-Salem and New Jersey. This fear is irrational for many reasons, but when I joke about my fear of officers, my friends always say, “you’re a white girl, nothing would ever happen to you.” Even though its a light hearted comment, it’s not true for all Americans. My best friend is black and to see her fear and outrage at the black men killed by officers is  both hard/sad to hear and informative. While to many, officers are protectors, to the black community, that is not the case. The data shows that blacks are targeted and face more police use of force, but why? This is what I wanted to find out. Through my research, I found that stereotypes, police culture, ecological contamination and a suspect’s race all play a role in an officer’s decision to use more force. To help the black community overcome these fears, we have to implement education and training programs amongst many other tactics, to alter police culture and police racial stereotypes. In conducting this research, I recognized that when conducting a study on such a contentious topic, it is important to look beyond just the statistics. We cannot understand the racial difference in police use of force unless we look at both the root causes and the quantitative data.

In regard to police use of force, I really enjoyed and appreciated Craig Douglas. Not only was he super cool, but he provided a different perspective on police use of force. Making the students pretend to be officers, receive a call, and react to the situation exposed how officers are put in difficult situations where they do not have the whole story. Reflecting on that class, I realized that we are quick to criticize and blame offers for their response, as we do not hear the entire story. That demonstration has definitely made me more aware that the media does not portray the entire story, especially when it relates to police use of force. Because of that, I feel I will think twice before I point fingers and blame officers.

When looking back on the entire semester, I have become more educated and knowledgeable about guns and their role in our society. In addition to learning more about background checks, and how families could protect their loved ones from firearm suicides, I have liked to learn more about the mass shootings that have occurred as they have shocked the country over the past few years. Regardless of these few limitations, I  am definitely not as terrified as guns as I was when I started class. Yet,  being from New Jersey and moving to New York, I do not want to own a gun, nor do I want my family members to have guns in the house. To me, and to most people from my hometown, guns are unnecessary and the only people who should have them is law enforcement.  Although those around me won’t have guns, the conversation about guns and gun control always exists. By taking Sociology of Guns, I will be able to impart the things I have learned onto those around me and provide them with a broader understanding of guns and their role in society. I believe that in doing so, I can help shape my communities views on guns whereby they too can begin to see that guns are not all bad, and when used correctly, are beneficial.

This student’s reflection is particularly interesting to me because she is — by her own admission — so anti-gun she had a very negative reaction to the field trip.

Sarah Najjar
1.30.19

The introduction to firearms class and range visit was an experience unlike any I’ve had before. I was born and raised in Manhattan, New York, attending a very liberal, anti-gun high school. My father is a very liberal Moroccan man, a man who never let us light sparklers let alone own or encounter a gun. The conditions under which I grew up in were not synonymous with attending gun ranges or having a comprehensive understanding of firearms. To me, firearms were not something I had ever been exposed to or nor did I want to. I distinctly remember the feeling of my heart racing in my chest as we drove to the ProShots range. It was a very shocking feeling to know I was going to see a weapon of death and have the option to hold and eventually shoot it myself.

When we were in the classroom I found myself reflecting on how I viewed guns in the United States. Sitting in that classroom, learning about guns, while hearing the sound of firing guns nearby shocked me. It left me holding back tears and I found myself looking for the strength to rise above and stay in that room when honestly all I wanted to do was scream and leave the room. I thought of all the mass shootings I’d learned about that had occurred due to the fact that men like the one standing in front of me sold guns to people this man, in reality, had no way of knowing were stable enough to have a gun, or honest enough to not sell the gun they had bought from him. I thought of how many wars I’d learned about in history that had been fought with weapons much like the ones I was sitting in the same room with. I thought of the man who shot up a school in Newtown, Connecticut, a place very dear to my heart, walking into a store much like this one and purchasing a gun. I started to despise the gun industry even more than I did before.

In order to keep the tears from leaving my eyes, I started to look around the room. First, I saw an American flag at the head of the room. It enraged me because it felt like the flag was there to argue for the “American” right to own guns for protection (despite the fact that our nation has one of the highest rates of death due to guns). So, I looked somewhere else. The next thing I noticed was the man-shaped target sitting in front of the flag- the hyper-muscular man. I began to think more about what I associated with guns: the masculine man and was more enraged. It was at this point I decided to hear what the teacher had to say. I was surprised to see how in depth the application was to acquire a gun. Additionally, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the men selling guns were attuned to signs of when not to sell a gun to someone.

I wish I could have ended my reflection of this experience with a new found understanding of the gun industry, or a sense of acceptance for the fact that people own guns, but I don’t think I am there yet. I cannot say if it’s the way I was raised, or the violence I have learned of at the hands of guns, or the unnecessary and incredibly problematic hyper-masculinity I feel is associated with owning a gun, but I left that gun range with the understanding that my experience that day fit in beautifully with my previous understanding of guns in the United States. A part of me is happy because I feel that this day showed me that my anti-gun support is a big part of who I am and what I believe, but another part of myself is disappointed because I was not able to open my mind enough to fully understand the other side of the argument.

This reflection is by a Canadian student – an outsider to gun culture in both the United States and Canada – who ended up deciding not to shoot on the range but still learned quite a bit.

Juliana Smith
29 January 2019

I am not someone who is completely familiar with guns. In fact, I am someone who is quite fearful of them. I did not grow up around guns, I have had personal experience with loss related to gun violence and I cannot personally relate to the cultural significance of guns in the United States, coming from Canada. Going into the field trip at ProShots, I was excited to learn more about guns and the regulations around them, but nervous about how I would feel being so close and potentially handling one of the objects I fear the most in the world.

Entering the facility, I was amazed with the sheer number of products that the store sold. I did not realize how many different types of handguns, bullets, and accessories one could purchase and seeing patrons casually coming in and buying ammunition and accessories intrigued me. At the risk of sounding ignorant, I was amazed to see how casual the whole process was, as I never thought about any of these transactions as ever being something that was a part of regular day-to-day life.

I found the “class” portion of the field trip to be extremely informative and helped decrease my anxiety about the experience in general, as it was very clear that the manager, Richard Talbert, was extremely knowledgeable about the subject and really payed attention to the finer details and safety protocols of the range, not that I had any doubt that he would.

My reaction to the guns themselves was not a surprise for me though, as even holding the plastic gun in the room made me anxious. While I was leaning towards not shooting in the gun range prior to the trip, the anxiety that I had holding a plastic one solidified my decision to not shoot once we went inside the range. While I think I could have benefited from firing the weapon, I did not think that it would be particularly safe for me to be holding the actual gun and firing it considering my reaction to a fake one already made me anxious.

Going into gun range was beneficial but quite scary at first. Hearing the sound of the guns firing was startling, especially when the people who were not in our class came into the range and were firing their own weapons at a much quicker pace than we were. I was especially startled when one man was firing a rifle in the range, as I had never really seen one up close before and only ever hear about those types of guns in mass shooting incidents around the country. While I know that it is not the gun’s fault, but rather the person wielding it when it comes to those tragedies, it was interesting to see someone shooting it “for fun.”

Overall, the trip to the gun range was one that I found beneficial to my overall learning, but also one that left me with a considerable number of questions. While I was able to see the culture and interest around guns firsthand, I still question the veracity of some people’s commitment to anti-gun control measures and the firearms in general. It confuses me that these people, who abide by gun regulations and use and store their firearms safely, could be opposed to more measures that would continue to make the gun community safer, and perhaps less susceptible to criticism from outsiders. In my opinion, stricter gun laws could help reduce the amount of gun violence in this country, which I think would then in turn decrease the amount of criticism gun lobbies and gun owners receive from the larger community. Additionally, while I was pleased to see how seriously ProShots takes gun safety, abiding by the regulations and taking extra measures to make sure all their gun sales are legitimate and those who are buying the guns the actual owners, it makes me question how many gun shops abide by the same policies. While I believe that majority of these stores do, it makes me question how many of them take the extra steps that Pro-Shots does.

Overall, I feel like this experience helped broaden my understanding of guns in the US, the culture around them and eased my concerns about what the gun regulations are in the US in the first place. I know that majority of gun owners are responsible and I understand that guns are an important part of American culture as a whole, but seeing everything in person helped me realize that these thoughts I had about guns were in fact a reality. It also helped me understand the gun control debate a little bit more. For someone like me, who has no relationship or real positive connection to guns, it is a lot easier for me to blindly agree with stricter gun control laws and not be able to see the other side’s argument. After going to ProShots and understanding why people want guns or enjoy guns a little bit more, it gives me perspective on why some people might be against further gun control, though I still have some questions.

I think the trip overall was a good experience, despite any anxiety it may have brought up at times; it pushed me out of my comfort zone, helped me understand the reasoning behind gun advocates and made me more at ease with how gun ranges and shops are regulated and operated. This trip made me even more excited to further explore these issues in class and really get into how both sides of the gun debate see the issue, and begin to think of ways we could remedy the situation in the United States as whole.

[DY NOTE: I have very lightly edited this text for length and to correct glaring spelling, grammar, and/or substantive errors.]

This student is from Europe, so her experience with guns and gun culture is even more distant than her American classmates and her learning curve consequently steeper.

By Anonymous

30 January 2019

This field trip was the first time I had set foot in a gun shop or a gun range; I was apprehensive about this experience as it is not in my culture to be close to guns, but I ended up enjoying my visit and was pleasantly surprised by the thrill of firing a gun.

During the presentation, I thought Richard was really helpful in informing us, both on how to handle a gun but also on the importance of being cautious and aware of all the dangers guns could bring.  He stressed how important it was to keep guns in a safe environment and away from anyone vulnerable to hurting themselves; in the past we have heard of children accidentally either shooting themselves or others.

He was adamant about completing background checks before selling a gun to a buyer and said that this shop refused to sell a gun to anyone who looked in any way suspicious. For example there was a case where a grandmother was looking at guns with her underage grandson and it was obvious the gun was for him.

I am a bit skeptical when it comes to owning a gun, but Richard really tried to be as neutral as possible no matter how people felt about guns. My sense was that Richard’s priority, as he mentioned repeatedly, was the security of others; he made me see gun owners with a different eye.  My skepticism made me believe that gun owners did not really pay attention to how cautious one should be with a gun but I realized this was false.

I thought the question and answer part of the presentation was very useful because it made me reflect on important subjects; for example, a student asked how frequently concealed carry licenses need to be renewed and when Richard answered 5 years I was slightly surprised. One reason was that, while filling out the questionnaire to buy a gun, they ask buyers if they have ever been involved in any kind of felony, illegal activities or other unlawful activities; they are also asked if they are mentally defective.  In this case, what I found surprising was that in the span of five years, the owner could have participated in illegal actions, or developed a mental illness, making them unable to own a gun.

In addition, Richard was asked if any of the shop’s guns had been found at a crime scene, to which he answered positively for a few.  He explained that most likely these events occurred because the guns had been stolen from their rightful owner and not used by a malicious buyer. It thus made me reflect on the role of guns in America, and what solutions we could find to better secure guns from being stolen and prevent such events.

Something else Richard mentioned was the fact that sometimes grandparents or parents come to shoot some guns on the range with their children to spend quality time. I thought this was really curious since I usually spend quality time with my family playing golf, not quite the same experience.

Going into the actual range was really exciting, I had only seen people shooting a real gun on TV but never in front of me. Shooting was not what I expected. It may have been the gun I was using, but it had nearly no recoil which everyone had warned me about; it was fun trying to shoot something physical and real. Even though I still do not feel entirely comfortable with guns, I was really happy to have experienced this and can now say that I am capable of shooting a gun, safely.

[DY NOTE: I have very lightly edited this text for length and to correct glaring spelling, grammar, and/or substantive errors.]

Many gun people take for granted that everyone has a basic familiarity with firearms. As someone who never saw, touched, or fired a (non-BB/pellet) gun for my first 42 years of life, I know there are many of us out there. The student’s reflection below highlights some of the discoveries that can come from venturing into the unknown of a gun store and range.

Kristin Guyler
January 31, 2019

“Breaking News: Active Shooter.” These are the headlines that Americans have become all too familiar with as the number of shootings and instances of gun violence seem to have skyrocketed in recent years. Reading these headlines and stories, and seeing the images of gun violence displayed on the news are the only “interactions” with guns that I have had. Having grown up in suburban New Jersey and New York City, I had never even seen an ordinary person with a gun. Rather, the only guns I ever saw were those attached to police officers. Thus, my understanding of guns and why people want to have guns was extremely limited prior to enrolling in Sociology of Guns and, subsequently, arriving at the gun range. Reflecting on my experience at ProShots, I had several misconceptions about guns and gun ranges that were ultimately altered during the trip. I have gained a better understanding about guns, gun culture (specifically in the greater Winston-Salem area), and the appeal of owning, buying, and shooting guns.

When thinking about what a gun range entailed, I pictured guns enclosed in cases, that are available for people to shoot in  large open fields. Therefore, when I arrived to ProShots I was rather surprised as it was in a strip mall next to a local Dollar Tree, Golden Wok, and a Hair Salon. This casualness was quite shocking as my idea that guns were dangerous and scary was clearly not a commonly held belief by those in Rural Hall. My image of gun ranges/stores was further shattered when I walked in and most of the guns were not enclosed in a glass case, but instead were displayed openly on the wall. In that moment, I realized there is nothing special or different about gun stores– they are simply normal stores with products and inventory available for purchase. The notion that the general public here in Forsyth County is not as terrified of guns as I am and gun stores are rather casual, became even more apparent when a young man, who looked as though he just got off of work, was coming to shoot for fun. It seemed fair to assume that attending a shooting range after work was synonymous with getting off of work and going to the gym. I realized shooting is a leisure activity that people engage in perhaps for fun or as a stress reliever.

Aside from my initial experiences and impressions of the gun store and gun culture in Forsyth County, my complete and utter terror of guns slowly disintegrated when actually shooting the gun. Holding the gun, feeling its weight, hearing its sound, and firing it were all new and invigorating experiences. The gun was much heavier, louder, and harder to shoot than expected. In addition to thinking that I had to just lightly pull the trigger for it to fire, aiming the gun was significantly harder and I never actually knew where I hit the target. Not only did shooting a gun help relax my anxieties about guns and their potential danger, but I also had a newfound respect for people who have to shoot guns and actually aim.

[DY NOTE: I have very lightly edited this text for length and to correct glaring spelling, grammar, and/or substantive errors.]

This student refers toward the end of her reflection to me making “a joke about purposefully avoiding the human paper targets.” Although I probably said this with a smile on my face, I did not mean it as a joke. In fact, the first time I took a class to the range in 2015, we (without thinking) put up humanoid targets.  One of the students – pictured below — asked to shoot a non-humanoid target. We had an excellent discussion in class after about the ethical significance of target selection. Since then, as much as possible, I have tried always to use non-human/humanoid paper targets during our field trips.

Lily Walter
January 30, 2019

In the weeks following our trip to the gun range I told almost everyone I knew that I shot a gun for the first time in one of my classes. I also told people that, surprisingly, I didn’t hate it, and actually had a lot of fun. As someone who grew up without guns, I was uncomfortable coming into the gun range, and was prepared to experience a level of moral outrage and disgust when I held my first gun. When I experienced the opposite, I was both surprised and confused. Our time at Pro Shots challenged my assumptions about guns. At one point during the class session with Richard Talbert, I declared to the class that I’m a cynic and a skeptic when it comes to the laws and systems we have in place surrounding guns. However, the trip to the gun range showed me my lack of knowledge regarding the actual processes surrounding gun purchases, ownership, and culture.

The wide range of courses offered at ProShots intrigued me. On one hand, Talbert emphasized the importance of proper gun safety, teaching us the four main rules, and noting that his classes are especially valuable to gun owners with children. He spoke a lot about the importance of preventing children from being harmed accidentally by gun use. In other words, Pro Shots was not in the business of promoting negligent gun ownership. On the other hand, the beginner class is also a gateway into the world of guns. Pro Shots offers advanced courses in handguns, shotguns, and AR-15s, some of which include tactical situations and obstacle courses. As these courses get more intense, there is a shift in focus from safety or recreation to self-defense. I have always thought a demarcation existed between the recreational gun users and self-defense gun owners, but that boundary appears more blurred to me now. Other sociologists have studied the socialization process through which people become comfortable around guns. Through increasingly intense courses, Pro Shots helps people grow more comfortable with the idea of using a gun against another human being.

Talbert focused a lot on gun safety, even explaining that he occasionally taught classes to children. I couldn’t help but be reminded of a sketch by Sacha Baren Cohen on Who is America? In the sketch, Cohen’s character and a firearms fanatic discuss the value of arming children. While Talbert’s comments immediately brought this to mind, he was more focused on the importance of ensuring that children would not accidentally shoot themselves with a parent’s gun, and not the value of arming children to make America safer. I previously thought anyone in favor of educating kids about guns was simply trying to raise their kids to be fervent defenders of the 2^nd Amendment. In reality, there is actually a lot of value in teaching children how to be safe when there are guns in the home.

Our time on the range was both fun and disturbing. Shooting at a cartoon mole wearing a caving helmet did not require any kind of moral reckoning for me, but watching another patron shooting at a human target did. I believe Dr. Yamane made a joke about purposefully avoiding the human paper targets because we were not ready to deal with the ethical ramifications of that yet, and I understood his sentiment. I was really uncomfortable watching another range patron shoot a powerful rifle at a paper human target.

I tried to keep an open mind throughout the trip, but I will admit most of my opinions about guns have remained the same. Nonetheless, the actual experience of shooting a gun gave me insight into the appeal guns have, and shown me of the complexity and nuance of the gun debate.

[DY NOTE: I have very lightly edited this text for length and to correct glaring spelling, grammar, and/or substantive errors.]

The field trip has two components: A mandatory classroom introduction to firearms/safety and a voluntary opportunity to shoot guns on the range. In recent iterations of the course, I have required students write a short, 750 +/-250 word essay reflecting on the field trip.

In this essay, you will describe your experience participating in the introduction to firearms class and range visit. The essay is a subjective recollection of your experience at the range, so the content is largely up to you, but it must answer the following question: How did the experience fit with your prior understanding of guns in the US?

To answer this question you might benefit from thinking about the following related questions: What did you find surprising? What did you learn? What did you find appealing (or disturbing)? Although you can (and should) reference particular events, processes, or experiences, this essay should not be a mere “play-by-play” of what you did during the field trip. [Assignment borrowed from Brett Burkhardt of Oregon State University]

In the coming days, I will post some of these student reflection essays. They provide interesting insights into the experience and thoughts of young adults who for the most part are not invested in, or even familiar with, guns and gun culture. They are gun curious.

I begin with a student from Northern Virginia who had never before held a gun.

Katherine Cassidy
30 January 2019

As I walked into ProShots Range, I felt completely out of place. Nervously, I shuffled into the store and beelined for our class. January 16^th marks the first time that I have ever held a gun. Prior to the fieldtrip, I had minimal exposure to guns, and was largely afraid of them: outside of accidentally ending up in a large open-carry protest while with Wake the Vote at the Republican National Convention, I cannot remember a time where I have been within 100 feet of a gun that was not contained in a police officer’s holster. That protest included individuals open-carrying AK-47 guns as a means of inciting fear in the counter protesters and the accidental observers like myself. This experience left me even more nervous around guns.

All of the excitement and curiosity that I felt when I registered for the course melted away the moment I walked into the store. Despite the fact that the store was calm and quiet with polite staff – as with any other kind of retail store – I could not shake the internal sense of danger that I felt.

Somewhat ironically, the safety course left me even more afraid than when I walked in. Richard Talbert expertly answered our questions regarding purchase logistics, the gun store to government relationship (both federal and state/local), and the mechanisms in place to prevent restricted individuals from receiving them. For example, Richard pointed out Section 11a on the Firearms Transaction Record, a provision in place to prevent straw purchases. He then shared an anecdote of refusing sales to a grandmother and her underage grandson who was picking out the gun. To clarify, Richard effectively calmed my nerves about ProShots: the store-range-training facility hybrid is well-run, clean, and safe. If the course involved an assertion by Richard that all gun stores were run similarly, I would have left with a sense of peace.

However, the safety course fostered two separate fears: how much the current laws appear to rely on stores being as responsible like ProShots and how little I know about guns. From requiring storage of non-digitized copies of every Firearm Transaction Record to the fact that transfers can occur without a cleared background check if the FBI does not respond within three days, the laws appear to leave space for copious errors. While stores like ProShots may wait until receiving formal clearance to transfer, even if this occurs after three days, this strategy risks business. Other stores may not be willing to risk the loss of revenue, and a transfer could be made to someone who is later denied. Although the U.S. Marshals are then charged with confiscating the gun from the denied party, the weapon could be used maliciously in the time before this occurs. The rules seem to privilege gun stores that do not prioritize the due diligence found at ProShots.

The afternoon at ProShots also taught me how little I know about guns. Although I understood conceptually that there are a variety of styles of the weapon and that they are dangerous, I knew very little beyond the obvious. For example, I did not know that bullets can go through two car doors until Richard told us and found myself walking around with mini-existential crises in the week following our fieldtrip, equipped with the knowledge that a stranger could shoot me through my car before I would realize what happened. In addition, I did not appreciate the variety of guns and their features until this visit; as I handled and shot the revolver, handgun, and Glock, I noted these differences. Certain guns had safeties to prevent accidental shootings, and that the weapons used in the range varied in the amount of ammunition that they could hold and the time it took between shots.

Prior to the field trip, I had not given guns much thought outside of the fact that, conceptually, their use is debated and politicized. I genuinely believe that if I had to shoot a gun in self defense before this field trip that I would have more likely injured myself or bystanders rather than the target. To a certain extent I think this would likely be the case now but feel a little less afraid of guns after learning about proper form and safety techniques.

What I found most surprising about the experience is that I know understand the appeal of shooting as a form of recreational sport. Because I grew up in a community where recreational shooting is not present, I never fully understood the appeal of the activity. However, I began to understand while we were in the range. There was a sense of camaraderie among those not in our class who were there; strangers smiled at one another, and a man shooting a large rifle even made conversation with me while I was waiting to shoot. In addition, as a competitive person, I could see once I had shot the three different types of guns why one would practice refining their shot purely from a sporting perspective. This helped me better grasp a portion of U.S. gun culture that I had never understood in the past.

[DY NOTE: I have very lightly edited this text for length and to correct glaring spelling, grammar, and/or substantive errors.]

This semester my 15 students and I once again made the short drive from Wake Forest University to ProShots Range in Rural Hall, North Carolina.

Manager Richard Talbert spent 45 minutes giving students a basic introduction to firearms and safety, as well as reviewing and taking questions about the process of legally purchasing a firearm. This part of my course is mandatory.

After the classroom portion of our field trip, we headed to the range. I do not require students to shoot, but I strongly encourage them at least to observe others shooting. This year, 13 of my 15 students tried shooting, and the other 2 students observed.

As is the case every semester, many of my students have no experience shooting guns. This semester may have been my least experienced class ever. Of my 15 students, 11 had never shot ANY gun before. 3 of the 4 who had shot before did not have extensive experience, and the other 1 had not shot handguns.

We run two lanes of shooters simultaneously so there is less time standing around waiting to shoot. I am an NRA-certified Range Safety Officer, so I supervised one lane of shooters, while Richard Talbert supervised the other.

Of the 13 students who chose to shoot, 9 of them had never fired a gun before. (The 2 students who chose not to shoot also had never shot before.) With largely inexperienced shooters, both lanes had target-style .22 caliber semi-automatic pistols. “Target 22s” are excellent beginner’s guns because the combination of the comparatively heavy gun and small cartridge makes for less bang and recoil.

Richard and I also had 9mm semi-automatic pistols (a Glock 17 on my lane), and Richard had a .38 Special revolver on his lane as well. A number of students who wanted to work themselves up from the .22 took the opportunity to shoot the 9mm and revolver.

I will be posting a number of the reflections students are required to submit after the field trip. Here I will just quote a brief passages from two student papers just to indicate the types of responses the field trip typically elicits.

A female student from Florida who had never held a gun before wrote:

Holding the actual gun itself is what surprised me the most. I knew that it would be heavy, but I thought it might be heavier. . . . Right before shooting the gun, I thought I was going to back out. However, I knew I would regret not taking this unusual opportunity. After shooting the gun, the feeling was not disturbing like I thought it would be; I actually knew how to safely operate one. It actually was a rather reassuring feeling.

Another female student who had never shot before, this one from the suburban New York part of Connecticut, reflected:

I was unprepared to feel as comfortable around guns as I did, especially when shooting. The protocol to sign a waiver before use and watching a gun safety video also made me feel confident that I was surrounded by people that prided themselves on following the rules of practicing safe gun use. I am thankful I was guided by Richard while holding and shooting the gun I chose to shoot; he taught me proper stance, hand positioning and visual techniques to hit the target. This experience taught me that although gun ownership is linked in many ways to criminal activity, that link is correlative and not causal.

Stay tuned for several full-length student reflections in the coming days.