Gun Culture 4.0: Understanding the new Demographics of Gun Ownership in the United States

FAIN: DOI-293613-23

Lewis and Clark College (Portland, OR 97219-8091)
Jennifer Ann Hubbert (Project Director: January 2023 to present)

The humanistic analysis of the changing demographics related to purchasing and owning firearms in the United States. 

Gun ownership in the United States has skyrocketed in recent years. New gun owners are 40% of purchasers, and women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and self-defined “liberals” are arming themselves at unprecedented rates. Focusing on the changing demographics of gun ownership, this project seeks to 1) understand the symbolic dimensions of firearms as a technology; 2) understand the relationship of this technology to gun cultures; and 3) explore the implications of this relationship for gun violence. Gun research in the United States is largely dominated by a focus on epidemiology and criminology, i.e. what happens after the technology is used as a weapon of destruction. To understand and ameliorate the roots of this violence, we also need to understand the cultures and meanings of gun ownership and gun technology prior to its use.