American Gun Culture Analysis

Everyone in the world has a theory about why something happens or how it happens, but in sociology there are many different types of theories that often contradict each other. Theory is defined as “a statement of how and why specific facts are related” (Macionis, 2013). Most theories explain why people act in certain ways and explains why a person in a group may act different than someone that is alone. When building sociological theories most sociologist ask their selves two different questions: “What issues should we study?” and “How should we connect the facts?” (Macionis, 2013). By answering these questions the sociologist is led to a road map, or a theoretical approach. Theoretical approach is described as “a basic image of society that

"Battleground America," written by Jill Lepore, provides a strong history of guns and the way they have changed in the eyes of the American through the years. She proves her point with strong evidence throughout her article, sprinkling it with opinion and argument that is strongly supported. She presents her argument to convince her audience that the open availability of guns allows citizens to undeservingly purchase them by displaying the credibility in her sources, using negative connotations in her speech, and the strength and objectivity only a strong logos appeal can provide.

In today’s society, there is plenty to talk about. Whether it be about the President, the weather change, there is always something to talk about. One of the major issues that has been talked about for an extended period of time is gun control and the issues that follow it. There are two specific articles that were chosen today; one of which from the Chicago Sun Times website, and the other from the New York Times.

Guns and weaponry have always been a major part of the cultures of the world since the beginning of time. For the United States of America, gun use can be traced back to the colonial days, our revolutionary roots. They have helped the United States turn the table specifically in times of dire need such as the Revolutionary War. Not only have advances in weaponry influenced the U.S., they have also helped to shape events across the globe. In 1791, this was understood by the Founding Fathers while writing the Constitution, which can be seen in the Second Amendment: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”[1]. With the advancement of guns specifically, there has been a rise in mass shootings, casualties, crime and controversy that has begun to split the United States. All a person has to do is turn on the television to a news channel, and at any given time, heartache, most often linked to guns, can be found. Some cry for a need for better gun regulation or sometimes complete abolishment for recreational use, while others cling to their weapons with claim of self-defense and economic profit. Violent crimes have been on the rise years; there has been an estimated 1.2 billion crimes of violence that occurred in the United States alone [2]. One thing is certain: gun trade and regulation boosts the economy. Last year, 301,

Guns were a well known asset in the American Colonies, first for hunting game, general self-protection from the Native Americans and eventually as weapons used in the American Revolutionary War. During this time period, the main objective that the founding fathers wanted to create was an

In light of the stereotyped, yet nonetheless accurate, obsession of firearms that the American people proudly uphold, restricting the use of guns proves to be a much more difficult feat than one would have you believe. “America 's pervasive gun culture stems in part from its colonial history, revolutionary roots, frontier expansion, and the Second Amendment”.

One characteristic of American culture trough out the years, has been its affinity for diverse weaponry, particularly guns. However, many do not realize that America’s relationship with guns is engraved into the very frames upon which the country was established. In the eightieth century, as a means for hunting and self-conservation during the American Revolutionary War and the American Indian War, it was established with the enactment of the American Constitution that “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed”, also known as the Second Amendment. (Constitution)

In the United States of America the right to bear arms gave birth to a phenomenon called the “gun culture,” the term coined in 1970 by a historian Richard Hofstadter, which describes America’s heritage and affection for weapons(1). Not only did gun culture become an inseparable part of American democracy, but also it is considered to be synonymous with independence and freedom, the most important values for American society. Even though the crime rate and murder rate in the U.S. is higher than in any other developed country, U.S. citizens oppose every attempt made to pass gun control legislation(2). However, it may sound like a paradox, but the crime level in the most liberal states, when it comes to gun ownership, is the lowest in the

During the entire time America has existed there have been people who have claimed that different things were destroying the traditional American household and way of life. This has resulted in many different movements across the country such as the Temperance Movement of the 1920s, the Abolition Movement of the 1830-50s, and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950-60s. All of these are major movements that have had major effects on how the government looks at certain topics. Another more recent topic that has been brought to the attention of everyone in the nation is gun control. This issue has mainly been brought to light after the recent school shootings in Parkland, Florida and Benton, Kentucky. Some of these movements affected society as

Historian Richard Hofstadter, in his article "The United States is a gun culture" in the concept of "gun culture" to describe Americans have a enthusiastic of firearms. Many people want to accept and support the rights of gun ownership is part of the American tradition. Some people that individuals possess a gun in self-defense is a central feature of American identity, especially in the Midwest and southern people. The original of United States to open up frontier history - guns, as the Americans against native Indians, animals, riot self-defense weapon, the United States is an important part of the 19th century westward expansion, because people need to be responsible for their own safety. Hunting firearms are also important from American

In recent events, a horrific incident has occurred that left many people devastated, speechless and feeling as if there was no hope for the future. On October 1, The Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting occurred in Las Vegas and is known as America’s largest mass shooting to this day. Stephen Paddock was responsible for taking many innocent people’s lives and greatly affecting country music singers and their fans. In response to this recent tragedy, many of the country’s super stars have taken to social media in order to address the issues of gun culture that are faced in today’s society. These celebrities have found that their opinions of the 2nd ammendment have changed since the shooting has occurred. Caleb Keeter, from the Josh Abbott Band,

This paper will explore the history of guns, myths and realities of gun violence. Gun violence is a hot topic in America today and some may believe that America was built on gun violence. This country was colonized by the use of violence with guns. We’ve had wars since the invasion of this country. The violence has been around also with the well-known 1775 speech from Patrick Henry, “Give me liberty or give me death” (Jr.). Give me death is a very strong statement that to me means this is of a violent nature. Since then violence with guns would only escalate from taking land to taking lives whether it be homicides, suicides or threats of violence against one another. With the violent history of gun violence in America and so many different opinions, who or what is responsible for the destruction on self and society and what are the some of the ways to discourage these behaviors.

According to Al Jazeera Media Network, the number of civilian owned guns around the world is estimated at 650 million, and 270 million of those guns belong to the people of the United States. That means that there are 90 guns per every 100 Americans, giving the U.S. the highest gun ownership rate in the world. The country that comes in second is Yemen, with a population of 23 million there are 55 firearms per every 100 Yemenis, which is still only half as many guns as America, even though Yemen is a war-torn country with political instability. When it comes to number of deaths by firearms however, the United States is fifth in the world, with Brazil taking the lead. On the other end of the spectrum, we have a country like Japan, which has one of the strictest gun laws and one of the lowest murder rates in the world. Switzerland for example ranks high in gun ownership, but low in violent crime. So when compared to the rest of the world, the United States stands alone with both high gun ownership and high gun violence despite being a well off, developed country. After the attack on the historic African American church in Charleston, South Carolina, President Obama delivered a speech in which he said, “We as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries. It doesn’t happen in other places with this kind of frequency.” The debate on gun control has now developed into screaming matches between politicians

The Pew Research Center is accredited nonprofit Organization based in Washington DC. Its purpose is to be an American think-tank for information regarding social and public opinion. This specific article focuses on why guns are used in the united states. First categorising why people own guns, for example; hunting, protection, collection, and hobbies. Then analyzing the groups of gun ownership within the categories of gender and political identification. The research also provides information on those who do not own guns and their reasoning to abstain from ownership. This article will be very useful in writing my paper for it provide an exact percentage of Americans who own gun and their purpose and reasoning for ownership.

In my opinion, I believe the people and the guns are both the problem. While the person behind the gun chooses to commit the crime, I believe it is the significant exposure to gun culture that also pays a huge part. While screening and background checks are improving gun-related deaths, I still believe that it is not enough to put an end to unnecessary losses of life from these high-powered rifles. Furthermore, if guns were removed completely from society in the United States, there would not be discussions about how "people are the problem", and American's would not be playing the blame game, stating that "people are the problem", not the tools