A Qualitative Analysis of the Vulnerability Narratives of Student Gun Rights Advocates

Todd C Couch

Sociological Research Online, 2021, vol. 26, issue 2, 394-409

Abstract: In recent years, colleges and universities in the United States have considered allowing concealed firearms on their campuses. Yet, substantive research on why a minority of students’ desire to arm themselves is scarce. Addressing this gap in the literature, this study examines 30 interviews with chapter presidents of a national student gun rights organization. Using racialized narratives, participants express intense feelings of vulnerability on campus and in the larger society. Extending Feagin’s theory of systemic racism to gun politics, I argue respondents’ belief that they must be armed to co-exist with people of color reproduces racial inequality and poses a potential threat to students, faculty, and staff of color.

Keywords: concealed carry; guns; racial framing; racism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:socres:v:26:y:2021:i:2:p:394-409

DOI: 10.1177/1360780420922247

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