Gun sellers aren’t just merchants of guns but are also agents of conservative politics and ideals. That’s because gun sales in America aren’t only an economic exchange, but also a cultural one, with serious implications for society. In her book Merchants of the Right: Gun Sellers and the Crisis of American Democracy, Jennifer Carlson presents a view of gun sales and ownership through the lens of 2020-21: the political unrest leading up to January 6th, pandemic insecurities and the resulting dramatic increase in gun sales to all demographics. Are we moving towards a democracy not of the ballot, but of the bullet?
About the speaker
Jennifer Carlson is an Associate Professor of Government and Public Policy at the University of Arizona. She teaches courses on guns, rights, law and justice, and was awarded a MacArthur Genius grant for her research on such topics in 2022.
We will end the evening with a performance by spoken word artist Jackie Ashkin.
