Episode 23: Guns, Violence and the Cult of the Firearm in America

Speak Out with Tim Wise

On today’s episode Tim offers an extended personal commentary on the gun crisis in America, following last week’s horrific mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida. With so much attention focused on what the shooting means—about guns and violence in America, about mental health, and about the politics of gun control—it’s important to understand the issues in play, to cut through the arguments against common sense gun regulations made by gun fanatics, and to explore the connections between guns, toxic masculinity, and whiteness in particular. In this hour, Tim demonstrates not only the sources of the problem—too many easily available guns and a culture that fetishizes them—but also examines some of the ways in which we might begin to wind down the problem of gun violence and minimize the likelihood that such tragedies will continue to occur.