Search Results

The guns that ‘won the Western’: firearm iconography in Western literature and film

Justin A. Joyce

in Gunslinging justice: The American culture of gun violence in Westerns and the law

This chapter traces the changing iconography of guns within an array of literary texts from the nineteenth century and cinematic texts of the twentieth century. This chapter outlines the shifting ... More

This chapter traces the changing iconography of guns within an array of literary texts from the nineteenth century and cinematic texts of the twentieth century. This chapter outlines the shifting emphases within the Western; for though the gun has always been important to the Western, the genre’s representations of gun violence have varied through its history. This chapter argues that the Western's changing iconographic emphases, from aim to speed, codes violence morally upright and justifiable at different moments within the genre’s long history.Less

Overview and Context

Melvin Delgado

in Urban Gun Violence: Self-Help Organizations as Healing Sites, Catalysts for Change, and Collaborative Partners

Gun violence often elicits strong reactions across a wide social-economic-political spectrum and touches all of us either directly or indirectly. Gun violence, as it manifests itself in our urban ... More

Gun violence often elicits strong reactions across a wide social-economic-political spectrum and touches all of us either directly or indirectly. Gun violence, as it manifests itself in our urban centers, represents the death of an American dream for countless youth and young adults, primarily young people of color, across the nation’s cities and communities. Simply put, a life span must extend beyond age 18. Living long enough to graduate from high school is a nightmare disguised as a dream. Unfortunately, we mourn his death because we are unable to celebrate his life and the potential future contributions he and others like him will simply not make because their lives were cut short or because their health is compromised due to a bullet. His family, and countless other families, are left to pick up the pieces left behind by gun violence.Less

Playing Politics with Firearms and Family Violence

Jane K. Stoever

in The Politicization of Safety: Critical Perspectives on Domestic Violence Responses

This chapter frames the discussion of the politics of firearms with an exploration of the gendered nature of domestic violence, firearm fatalities, and the firearms debate, including how women are ... More

This chapter frames the discussion of the politics of firearms with an exploration of the gendered nature of domestic violence, firearm fatalities, and the firearms debate, including how women are portrayed and the gender identities of the most prominent voices for “gun rights” and gun control. Given the stark and brutal realities of firearms and family violence, politicians across the ideological spectrum should readily agree that people who violently attack or threaten family members should be subject to practical and measured restrictions on their access to firearms. Unfortunately, safety as related to firearms and family violence has become highly politicized. This chapter identifies measure that states can enact to address the loopholes that allow domestic abusers to acquire firearms even after they have been convicted of felony abuse, often to deadly effect.Less

Remedies

Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig

in Gun Violence: The Real Costs

This chapter discusses the solutions for gun violence. A variety of interventions hold promise for reducing misuse of guns, including traditional gun control measures, requiring gun manufacturers to ... More

This chapter discusses the solutions for gun violence. A variety of interventions hold promise for reducing misuse of guns, including traditional gun control measures, requiring gun manufacturers to incorporate safety features in their products, policing against illegal carrying, and threatening those who use guns in crime with longer prison sentences. The potential benefits of such interventions are compared with estimated costs. Since some of these interventions arguably produce benefits in excess of costs, increasing their scope or intensity improves the overall standard of living in America.Less

Preventing Ordinary and Extraordinary Violence

Mary D. Fan

in The Politicization of Safety: Critical Perspectives on Domestic Violence Responses

The paradigm of the armed and dangerous mass killer in public opinion and legislation is a homicidal-suicidal stranger hunting in public. Yet half of all firearms-related homicides take place in the ... More

The paradigm of the armed and dangerous mass killer in public opinion and legislation is a homicidal-suicidal stranger hunting in public. Yet half of all firearms-related homicides take place in the home, typically among intimates and people known to the slain. Drawing on data from the National Violent Death Reporting System, this chapter shows that even in the context of extraordinary violence by the homicidal-suicidal, the major early red flags and risk factors involve seemingly ordinary smaller-scale assaults and domestic disturbances. Firearms laws prevent individuals convicted of crimes of domestic violence or under court-issued restraining orders from possessing firearms. The problem is that many perpetrators never come to the attention of a court. Based on these findings regarding what current legal screens miss, this chapter discusses how police discretion and scene-of the-assault procedure for “ordinary” domestic violence can help prevent escalation to the feared extraordinary violence of homicidal-suicidal mass killings.Less

Firearm Law and Policy

Gianni Pirelli

in The Behavioral Science of Firearms: Implications for Mental Health, Law and Policy

In this chapter, the authors provide a review of firearm-related laws (i.e., federal, state, landmark legal cases), policies (e.g., “Stand Your Ground,” background checks, child access prevention), ... More

In this chapter, the authors provide a review of firearm-related laws (i.e., federal, state, landmark legal cases), policies (e.g., “Stand Your Ground,” background checks, child access prevention), and programs (e.g., Project ChildSafe). The mixed research related to the effectiveness of these firearm policies and laws, as well as program evaluation, is summarized. Issues related to the intersection of gun-involved violence and suicide, gun ownership, and mental illness are addressed. Moreover, gun restoration programs and firearm ownership disqualification systems are discussed, as well as the important court cases related to these complicated issues. While the media and public opinion have influenced much of the legislation related to gun ownership and gun control, the authors provide the reader with a foundational knowledge of the available empirical literature related to such.Less

Conventional Weapons

Wendy Cukier

in War and Public Health

This chapter examines the use of conventional weapons in war. It discusses the global gun supply, and examines how governments and nongovernmental organizations are working together to control ... More

This chapter examines the use of conventional weapons in war. It discusses the global gun supply, and examines how governments and nongovernmental organizations are working together to control proliferation and stop the misuse of firearms worldwide. It reviews the specific requirements for protecting civilians within the Geneva Convention IV.Less

Conclusion: The “Problem” Reconsidered

James B. Jacobs

in Can Gun Control Work?

This chapter reconsiders an issue at the beginning of the book: what is the problem for which gun control is the solution? Gun control only makes sense as a means toward reducing accidental and ... More

This chapter reconsiders an issue at the beginning of the book: what is the problem for which gun control is the solution? Gun control only makes sense as a means toward reducing accidental and intentional deaths, injuries, and crimes. Most accidental and intentional injuries are not inflicted with guns, although most suicides and homicides are. This chapter argues that allowing for decentralized gun regulation according to local preference allows negative externalities. Some communities wishing to ban private possession of firearms in public places, for example, will find their ambition undermined by a neighboring community's policy of allowing liberal access to firearms. Violence has decreased dramatically in the last decade in the United States, despite the continued increase in the stock of civilian guns. This means that firearms accessibility is not the only thing, and not the most important thing, driving gun crime.Less

The Million Mom March: The Perils of Color-Blind Maternalism

Deborah Gray White

in Writing Women's History: A Tribute to Anne Firor Scott

This chapter examines the Million Mom March in May 2000, when for the first time American mothers took aim at gun violence and gun control. The event marked the first coalition between suburban, ... More

This chapter examines the Million Mom March in May 2000, when for the first time American mothers took aim at gun violence and gun control. The event marked the first coalition between suburban, mostly white mothers and urban mothers mostly of color. The Million Mom March allowed mothers to transform the maternal experience into political work and to reconceptualize their unpaid, often devalued labor. However, their public display of grief also evoked fear and disgust—fear that this maternalist movement would succeed in eliminating guns, a literal and figurative symbol of American masculinity; and disgust at the sentimentality that threatened to supplant masculine strength with feminine weakness.Less

Gun Violence and Life in America

Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig

in Gun Violence: The Real Costs

This chapter discusses the Littleton tragedy and evaluates several lessons that are important for addressing the problem of gun violence in America. It also explains the benefits of reducing gun ... More

This chapter discusses the Littleton tragedy and evaluates several lessons that are important for addressing the problem of gun violence in America. It also explains the benefits of reducing gun violence. It then examines the gun policy, as well as the importance of the law-enforcement activities in reducing criminal gun misuse. It notes that there are a variety of programs to reduce gun violence that enjoy widespread popular support. However, they have little effect on the ability of most private citizens to keep guns for personal use, and have benefits that exceed costs.Less

Old dogs and new tricks: race and justifiable homicide in neoliberalism’s Western imagination

Justin A. Joyce

in Gunslinging justice: The American culture of gun violence in Westerns and the law

This concluding chapter examines the relationship between the increasing codification of aggressive “Stand Your Ground” laws since 2005 and the continued relevance of the Western as a popular genre. ... More

This concluding chapter examines the relationship between the increasing codification of aggressive “Stand Your Ground” laws since 2005 and the continued relevance of the Western as a popular genre. This final chapter presents a reading of two contemporary Westerns, the television series Justified (2010-15) and Quentin Tarrantino's film, Django Unchained (2012), arguing that the film epitomizes the challenge of gun possession and self-defense within a neoliberal state.Less

Social, Political, Economic, and Cultural Perspectives

Melvin Delgado

in Urban Gun Violence: Self-Help Organizations as Healing Sites, Catalysts for Change, and Collaborative Partners

Urban gun violence knowledge is evolving and promises to gain steam as it garners more attention. Interventions will necessitate a grounding in the social sciences and the urban practice experience, ... More

Urban gun violence knowledge is evolving and promises to gain steam as it garners more attention. Interventions will necessitate a grounding in the social sciences and the urban practice experience, positioning professions to advance the knowledge base on how best to address gun violence at a neighborhood and social network level. This chapter provides a broad social-economic-political-cultural context for understanding the origins and broad reach of gun violence in the nation and its cities and touches on aspects rarely the focus of attention yet playing a prominent role in helping understand how urban gun violence emerges. Four viewpoints are covered in this chapter (social, political, economic, and cultural), allowing coverage of usual and unusual aspects of urban gun violence. These perspectives are not ranked in order of importance and must be present in any analysis of urban gun violence and search for solutions, more so when seeking a nuanced and localized approach. These perspectives interact in a highly dynamic manner; when one is particularly impacted, the others react accordingly. Gun violence permeates society, with few urban segments escaping its grasp.Less

A New Narrative on Gun Violence: Bernadette Callahan Hohl, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology; Co-Director, New Jersey Center on Gun Violence Research at Rutgers University, Rutgers University School of Public Health Michael B. Siegel, MD, MPH, Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health Daniel W. Webster, ScD, MPH, Bloomberg Professor of American Health; Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University

Alonzo L. Plough (ed.)

in Community Resilience: Equitable Practices for an Uncertain Future

Chapter 3 offers narratives about gun violence; these narratives draw from public health tenets and practice. Contributors sketch a road map to how people with differing philosophies can act together ... More

Chapter 3 offers narratives about gun violence; these narratives draw from public health tenets and practice. Contributors sketch a road map to how people with differing philosophies can act together to prevent gun deaths: Michael B. Siegel describes public health principles that can shape thinking about gun policy. Drawing from his experiences in Baltimore, Daniel W. Webster illustrates how gun violence has influenced urban life, examining the implications of aggressive law enforcement. His work with police and community members and his involvement with a gun violence reduction consortium yield strategies for reducing harm. Zeroing in on the community environments in which gun violence occurs, Bernadette Callahan Hohl illustrates how a public health approach can improve safety. Using examples from community-driven projects, she offers evidence that strengthening neighborhoods pays off. The chapter concludes an action agenda.Less

Guns and Motherhood: A Millennial Maternalism

Deborah Gray White

in Lost in the USA: American Identity from the Promise Keepers to the Million Mom March

This chapter shows how the Million Mom March helped parents, especially mothers, heal from the loss of a loved one to gun violence. It compares past maternalist movements to this one and shows the ... More

This chapter shows how the Million Mom March helped parents, especially mothers, heal from the loss of a loved one to gun violence. It compares past maternalist movements to this one and shows the uneasy coexistence of feminism and maternalism. It explores how suburban mothers who were mostly white and urban mothers who were mostly black and Hispanic, came to believe that American society was sick, that all mothers were the antidote, and that together they could get gun control adopted and stop gun violence. While demonstrating the possibilities for coalition this chapter argues that the color-blind approach failed against the National Rifle Association, which evoked images negligent mothers, over-indulgent mothers, bad black mothers and criminal black beast rapists to defeat the anti- gun crusaders.Less

Approaches to Preventing and Intervening With Gun Violence

Melvin Delgado

in Urban Gun Violence: Self-Help Organizations as Healing Sites, Catalysts for Change, and Collaborative Partners

The importance of local context cannot be overly emphasized in shaping how helping professions can best aid in preventing and intervening early in gun violence, but that does not mean that the ... More

The importance of local context cannot be overly emphasized in shaping how helping professions can best aid in preventing and intervening early in gun violence, but that does not mean that the national picture cannot provide a broader context to help understand local situations. Interventions requiring many different institutional and community partners have garnered saliency as pathways to solving gun violence. Multifaceted interventions by their nature are complex, requiring contextual grounding to maximize success and taking localized circumstances into account. A cookie-cutter approach is ill-advised. Successful interventions also require cooperation of multiorganizational entities, all requiring considerable expenditure of time, energy, and other resources. In addition, these approaches require engendering trust. This chapter grounds readers with various approaches to dealing with urban gun violence.Less

What Counts?

Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig

in Gun Violence: The Real Costs

This chapter provides an accounting framework for monetizing the benefits of reducing gun violence. It illustrates how a “vaccine” would reduce the threat of gunshot injury. Tracing through all of ... More

This chapter provides an accounting framework for monetizing the benefits of reducing gun violence. It illustrates how a “vaccine” would reduce the threat of gunshot injury. Tracing through all of the ways in which the public would benefit helps highlight a number of costs that have been ignored in the previous studies of this topic. This would also clarify the different ways in which gun violence reduces the quality of life in America. There would be less need for investments in prevention, avoidance, and harm reduction, both public and private, and less concern about being shot or losing a loved one or a neighbor to gunfire.Less

‘Deserve’s got [everything] to do with it’: property, process, and justice in Unforgiven

Justin A. Joyce

in Gunslinging justice: The American culture of gun violence in Westerns and the law

This chapter presents a reading of Unforgiven (1992), situating this film within a paradigmatic shift in the extension of due process protections for minorities, and the transformation of American ... More

This chapter presents a reading of Unforgiven (1992), situating this film within a paradigmatic shift in the extension of due process protections for minorities, and the transformation of American self-defense doctrine brought about through a focus on battered women.Less

Don’t Play (with) That

Joshua Gunn

in Political Perversion: Rhetorical Aberration in the Time of Trumpeteering

This chapter concludes the book by arguing that perversion can be a form of playing in publics, comparing harmful, structurally perverse discourse to that of playing with guns.

When Gun Violence Is Gendered Violence

Anne P. DePrince

in Every 90 Seconds: Our Common Cause Ending Violence Against Women

Many mass shootings have in common a link to violence against women, whether because the shooters targeted women and girls or had histories of perpetrating intimate violence. Drawing on research from ... More

Many mass shootings have in common a link to violence against women, whether because the shooters targeted women and girls or had histories of perpetrating intimate violence. Drawing on research from across the United States, the chapter argues that preventing mass shootings and other forms of gun violence requires also addressing violence against women. Evidence is presented on the links between gun violence and violence against women, including the use of guns to coerce and control victims as well as in intimate partner homicides. Further, research on the impact of gun policies on intimate violence, including the potential to prevent intimate partner homicides, is considered. The author proposes that adolescent dating violence prevention programs offer an important avenue to curb violence against women and, ultimately, gun violence.Less