In America, firearms are widely discussed through the lenses of laws and ownership, gun violence statistics, and the contested history of the right to bear arms. Firearms are designed to kill. They also can endanger the lives of the operator and bystanders. In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Read more…
Every month in the US, roughly 70 women are shot and killed by their partners. Yet in February 2023, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a 1994 law banning firearms possession for people subject to domestic violence protection orders, part of a wave of lower-court challenges to gun regulations Read more…
In its Winter 2022–23 newsletter, the National Park Service highlighted a budding partnership between the Center for the Study of Guns and Society at Wesleyan University and Coltsville National Historical Park, writing: “The partnership represents a strong foundation for supporting current research and student engagement locally, throughout the Precision Valley, Read more…
The following article by Joseph Slaughter, associate director, Center for the Study of Guns and Society, was recently published by The Conversation U.S. Joseph P. Slaughter, Wesleyan University Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching. Title of course: “God and Guns: the Read more…
A U.S. Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi has cited a book co-edited by Jennifer Tucker, director of the Center for the Study of Guns and Society, in an order on a case concerning a federal statute prohibiting felons from possessing firearms. “In reviewing the briefing and authorities presented Read more…
On October 14–15, 2022, the Center for the Study of Guns and Society hosted its inaugural fall conference, “Current Perspectives on the History of Guns and Society.” With sessions on topics ranging from the history of firearms in Colonial and antebellum America to a headline panel discussion on history, race, Read more…
In 2022, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded a three-year, $1 million grant to support the Carceral Connecticut Project (CCP) at Wesleyan University, an interdisciplinary project to investigate the state’s racial, industrial, and political history. The award includes support for the design and implementation of new courses, including “Reenacting Justice: Read more…
The Center for the Study of Guns and Society will be the first academic site dedicated to interdisciplinary humanities study and teaching on the social and cultural history of firearms. Guns hold a central and uniquely polarizing place in American society and culture today, yet there are many unanswered questions Read more…
