David Yamane

The Bias Against Guns Runs Deep

Between this blog and my Gun Curious blog, I have posted over 1,000 entries about many different aspects of guns. Have appeared on over 30 podcasts. Published a bunch of academic and public essays about guns. Speak regularly to the media about guns. I think of myself as a conscientious objector in the culture war over guns, so hopefully no one who engages with my work thinks I am prone to crying wolf about bias against guns.

But every once in a while, I am reminded that the bias against guns does run deep in some quarters and need to mention it. This happened recently in connection with my Sociology of Guns seminar at Wake Forest University.

I was saddened when a former Sociology of Guns student applying to graduate school recently asked me to sanitize their student range reflection I had posted because they feared it would be held against them in the application process.

I was more saddened to learn that a “counselor” advised them to do so.

I was most saddened because I couldn’t deny that the counselor had a point.

To be sure, of the nearly 60 student gun range field trip reflections I have posted since Fall 2015, only 2 students have asked me to remove their posts. And many of my former students have successfully navigated the graduate school admissions process (including being accepted to Harvard and other law schools).

But the mere fact that any student is afraid that their thoughtful and honest reflections on the experience of visiting a gun range and shooting guns could be held against them is symptomatic of the deeper problems that plague us as a society.

12 comments

  2. Yes, it’s sad. Academia is supposed to be a venue for the sharing of different, constructive ideas and opinions. Unfortunately, that’s a pipe dream. Even in the business I’m retired from has the same problem; and that business supposedly champions the sharing of different, constructive ideas. So sad…

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  3. I doubt most universities would even allow your course to be taught — they’re little more than woke madrassas now.

    And sorry, but when the culture war comes for you, you’re in the culture war.

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  4. I’m proud of my photos being published in those national rags, but I don’t feel comfortable sharing that on my business page. One major client could disrupt my ability to earn and feed my family. Especially the local University. Personal page is fine, as I care less now than I ever have about what people think of my gun ownership. That took me about seven years to get to that point.

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  5. The question I have is, “Is it really a bias against guns? Or is it a bias against gun owners?” In my experience, it is really the perception that gun owners inherently embrace violence and cannot be part of “polite society”. Again, I only have my own experience to go by, but in my case almost all the “anti-gun” people I know (and I know quite a few) have no problem with the guns that law enforcement personnel are armed with (even the terrible black rifles). So they really aren’t anti-gun as much as they are anti you (as a non LEO) having a gun.

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  6. That’s immensely saddening, Professor. The chilling effect on gun rights of academia’s bias probably cannot be underestimated.
    A graduate student should not be made afraid for the future of their education and careers to simply have their honest opinions be read.

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  7. I had two promising connections with younger gun owners: perspectives that could really help with evolution. Both were tracking well. Both ended up entering higher education. Both cut ties with guns publicly due to applications for school and grants. I lost the potential with both people. Recently had a big impact player refuse a podcast invite because their boss (school admin) told them not to.

    I have been told directly by a top-tier academic expert that is on our network to expect a firewall from academia. And this is the portion of academia that deals with ancient weapons. I call it the “Paleolithic Moral Handy-wipe.” As long as the weapons and people are ancient, it’s cool and amazing. But everything else gets the emotional aversion / deviance treatment.

    This same phenomenon in general liberal gun owners is why a lot of what I have to do has to become a one man band (even though I don’t want that.) People want to own guns, they want to help, and they have plenty of desires for how things should be done in the world of guns…and even though they advertise their gun ownership constantly online, they simultaneously don’t want to be seen. So, they won’t step strongly into helping the cause. Figure that one out.

    If this whole gun thing doesn’t work out, I already have all I need for a therapy group called:

    “I can’t, ’cause my wife.” It’s funny. But it’s also super prevalent.

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  8. When I’m attending a training class to write up for the blog or a publication, I’ll introduce myself to my fellow students and jokingly ask “Does anyone need to not be photographed or have their face blurred in photos like they’re in SEAL Team 37 1/2?”

    Almost always I’ll have one person approach me and ask me to keep them out of photos. Nine out of ten times it’s not because they’re in SEAL Team 37 1/2, but because that person is in academia or the broader education field.

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