In case you missed the announcement on my Gun Culture 2.0 blog, I am very happy to report that my second academic article on gun culture was published recently in the journal Sociology Compass (my first was on religion and gun ownership). Thanks to a generous grant from Wake Forest University’s ZSR Library and theContinue reading ““The Sociology of U.S. Gun Culture” Article Published and Available Free Online”
Tag Archives: Guns
The Problem with Averages in Understanding Guns, Violence, and Crime: No One Lives in “The United States”
The problem with averages is that there is no “United States of America” when it comes to guns, violence, and crime, but many Americas. Some of these Americas – like my neighborhood in Winston-Salem – are more like our first world counterparts in the OECD, and some of them are more like the third worldContinue reading “The Problem with Averages in Understanding Guns, Violence, and Crime: No One Lives in “The United States””
On the Ideal of Ethical Neutrality in Research on America’s Culture Wars
I am not sure what it says about me, but in my career as a sociologist, I have been drawn to some of the more controversial issues of my time. What James Davison Hunter way back in 1991 called “culture wars.” Culture wars, according to Hunter, are “struggles to define America,” and have been foughtContinue reading “On the Ideal of Ethical Neutrality in Research on America’s Culture Wars”
Faith and Firearms in the 2014 Baylor Religion Survey
Having begun my sojourn from the sociology of religion to the study of American gun culture a couple of years ago, I was excited to make a “homecoming” of sorts by attending the annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion in Indianapolis this past weekend. I was there to present myContinue reading “Faith and Firearms in the 2014 Baylor Religion Survey”
Scrutinizing Claims About Guns in Homes as a “Risk Factor” for Homicide in the Home
Getting into the sociology of guns has been both fascinating and frustrating. The fascination comes from deeply immersing myself in something entirely new to me. The frustration comes in attempting to understand the reality of guns in a scholarly – that is, objective and nuanced – manner. In the sociology of guns, the line demarcatingContinue reading “Scrutinizing Claims About Guns in Homes as a “Risk Factor” for Homicide in the Home”
A Letter to My Future Students
I am participating in a faculty Writing Associates Seminar, in which we are learning to integrate writing more intelligently and productively into our courses. For an upcoming retreat, our seminar leader asked us to write a letter to our future students about what we hope they will get out of our class. I wrote theContinue reading “A Letter to My Future Students”
Official Catholic View of Use of Lethal Force in Self-Defense
Miguel at the Gun Free Zone blog posted recently about a new book by a Texas police officer called Jesus Christ on Killing. I expect to see evangelical Christians taking this position, but Miguel brings to light some interesting passages from the Catechism of the Catholic Church that I had not previously read: The seldomContinue reading “Official Catholic View of Use of Lethal Force in Self-Defense”
Reflections on My Reflections on Gun Culture Based on Site Statistics
Since November 2012, when I first started working in earnest on a new research project on American gun culture, I have tried to blog regularly at Gun Culture 2.0. I have been averaging about 5 posts a month since then, which is pretty good compared to my previous attempts at blogging (like on this blog).Continue reading “Reflections on My Reflections on Gun Culture Based on Site Statistics”
Ten Essential Observations on Guns in America by James D. Wright
In my introduction to sociology class this week, I am discussing sociologist James D. Wright’s classic essay, “Ten Essential Observations on Guns in America” (from Society March/April 1995, reprinted in Guns in America: A Reader). Among his points: “There are 200 million guns already in circulation in the United States. . . . firearms areContinue reading “Ten Essential Observations on Guns in America by James D. Wright”
Implications of Initial Foray into the Guns and Crime Research
Although part of me thinks it is hopeless to think that either side in the debate over whether more guns leads to more crime or less crime will yield any ground to the other, as an outsider I see some possible common ground in the scholarship. If I had to come to a conclusion basedContinue reading “Implications of Initial Foray into the Guns and Crime Research”
DAVID YAMANE 