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The following dissertation explores the symbolic meaning of guns, and the ways in which the meaning of gun ownership, as well as the symbolic meaning imbued in individual guns influences aspects of social interaction. This ethnographic research effort applies thick, descriptive methods of observation and grounded theoretical techniques to this largely unexplored aspect of U.S. gun culture. A total of 52 interviews of varying length were conducted with a range of gun owners in venues that included gun collectors’ homes, shooting events, and public gun shows in the Midwest. Subjects were asked to share the stories of their guns, and explore the value of guns in their collections. The data reveal some interesting patterns, which are not limited to the following: 1) Guns, as an aspect of culture, or product of social interaction, are rich with symbolic values; 2) For many gun owners, the value placed on guns is far more emotional in nature than monetary; 3) The value ascribed to guns by their owners appears to influence the way in which gun owners interact with their guns as well as their social audience; 4) Gun owners recognize a unique type of stigma associated with these cultural products, and respond through a complex series of stigma management techniques; and 5) U.S. gun culture involves a series of deference and demeanor-filled rituals; rituals pertaining to being the gun owner, the gun user, and possibly even the gun as an object of near-worship. |
