Oh, Shoot: A Sociological Analysis Of Culture Gun In The Age Of Campus Carry

The slippery beast that is Gun Culture finds itself weaving itself in and out of all aspects of daily American life. What once originated as a means of protection from a tyrannical government and a way to, quite literally, bring food to the table, has slowly transmogrified into a dire public safety issue. What has become of the “well regulated militia?” The right to bear arms has pushed well beyond an act of pure necessity and mechanism for survival. This paper seeks to establish a historic predecessor to today’s gun-rights culture, through examination of both state and federal legislative mandates that have co-opted the gradually loosened interpretation of the Second Amendment. Further, this paper will, with the help of decades-old and fairly recent publications, identify key sociological aspects of behavior influenced by gun culture, and answer questions about gender roles within gun culture; how gun culture impacts notions of masculinity; and how different regional populations both benefit and are harmed by gun culture.