In my last post-Las Vegas massacre post, I distinguished between mass public killings (e.g., the Pulse Night Club shooting, the Nice truck attack, the Manchester concert bombing), mass murders (all of the above plus, e.g., Charles Manson, Richard Speck, Joel Smith, Jason Dej-Odoum), and mass shootings (all of the above plus, e.g., the drive by … Continue reading
For those who don’t want to read 1,000+ words on the issue, here is the bottom Line: In my considered opinion, it makes sense to use the following terms to describe different events, from most specific to most general: Mass public killing: Event in which a large number of people (mass) in a public or … Continue reading
A while back, Professor Adam Lankford (Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of Alabama) sent me an open letter to the media and asked if I would sign my name to it. I, along with 146 other scholars, agreed. The letter (reprinted in full below) asks the media “to take a principled stand in … Continue reading
My wife Sandy woke me up shortly after 5:00am yesterday morning with a text about a mass murder in Las Vegas: 20 dead in Vegas shooting Used auto weapon For 30 minutes I scanned Twitter for breaking news, then went into my a self-imposed 24 hour social media blackout. Emerging now from my self-imposed exile … Continue reading
Among the responsibilities of the communications and external relations department of my university is to connect faculty experts with media working in their areas of expertise. So, after major events like the mass murders in San Bernardino and Orlando, my contact in that office usually asks me if I want to comment. For example, after … Continue reading
In the wake of any terrible event, I try to get the basic facts while avoiding social media in general because of its shallowness (memes!), polarizing tendencies (echo chambers!), and openness to the lowest common denominator (name calling!). I have been re-emerging a bit lately, and trying to find some good reading on the issues … Continue reading
I find advertising in general extraordinarily interesting. I was a devoted follower of the TV show Mad Men and I teach about advertising in my classes. Advertising is a major part of our culture, and of course it is a major part of gun culture as well. When I watch gun TV shows, I am … Continue reading
