The past two weeks in my Sociology of Guns seminar we have been talking about the use of lethal force, one week focused on police and one week on non-sworn civilians. Given my background, I cannot speak to either of these issues other than through scholarly studies. So I was pleased to bring in someone … Continue reading
Toward the end of my second day wandering the frontiers of defensive gun culture at the three day Polite Society Tactical Conference, I could feel my brain getting full and my trigger finger antsy. As I have written before, there is a trade-off for me in participating in gun training classes rather than just observing … Continue reading
Some time during the 20th anniversary Rangemaster Polite Society Tactical Conference (TacCon), I saw Dr. William Aprill standing outside one of the temporary classroom tents. I had been following his work for a while but had not yet met him, so I excitedly introduced myself as the author of a blog called “Gun Culture 2.0.” … Continue reading
2018 marked the 20th anniversary of the Rangemaster Polite Society Tactical Conference. I had only attended “TacCon” once before, in 2014. Even over the short period of four years, much about the event has changed. When I attended the 16th annual TacCon in 2014, 140 individuals – including me and my wife – paid $249 … Continue reading
At the start of most classes, I have my students listen to and discuss the lessons about learning that can be gleaned from Alanis Morissette’s song, “You Learn,” from which her breakout album Jagged Little Pill takes its title. You live you learn, you love you learn You cry you learn, you lose you learn … Continue reading
Early in his D5 Disruptive Science Handgun course, Travis Haley asks his students, “Is anyone here OK living in a world of good enough?” He is not just referring to shooting. Every gun training course I observe makes me want to be a better and more thoughtful armed citizen. Travis Haley’s D5 Disruptive Science Handgun … Continue reading
The motto of Haley Strategic Train – “Thinkers before Shooters” – is very attractive to me. Thinking is a big part of my job as a professor after all. Observing a recent D5 Disruptive Science Handgun course in North Carolina allowed me to see this motto in action. D5 does not refer to the level … Continue reading
