This Week's "This American Life" episode is all about guns

[mucifer]

It's very interesting and well done. Trying to bridge the gap between those on both sides of the issue.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=81

[rrneck]

1. Thanks for the heads up! nt

[aikoaiko]

2. Ira Glass and his crew are incredible at getting below the surface of stories.

I hope he doesn't fail at this one.

[mucifer]

3. you can download the whole hour at the link.

It slants a bit more towards the damage guns do. But, he does have both sides. The woman who was shot at restaurant does have some convincing points about being allowed to carry her weapon in restaurants.

[SteveM]

4. This show could have benefitted by more "proletarian" legal gun ownership...

Overall, it was fascinating, but somewhat unbalanced. There are so many people who have used firearms (usually without ever having pulled the trigger) in self-defense who could have interviewed. I was fine with Gratia-Hupp's testimony, but the overall tone was one of wide-spread criminality vs. quirky gun fadism. The criminal use of guns is in fact concentrated and quirky; the responsible use of firearms is much more widespread. Perhaps this is too mundane. In the end, while interesting, the program did not speak to the experiences of most who own firearms.

And didn't we hear the "new" saw from one of the gun-control participants? That "everybody" should have a gun?

[mucifer]

5. I thought the most interesting story was about the proliferation of guns within tough

inner city youth and the change in culture in the past generation and this one and the corporate marketing of guns to young men.

[SteveM]

9. So much stuff is marketed twixt 18 & 32-yrs-of-age, I hardly notice.

The story shows its age a little in that the "hottest" firearm market among hunters is women in that age group. They come to the shooting sports via their husbands, boyfriends or a relative, whereas most men come to hunting as children, indoctrinated by their parent(s). Looking through a Sturm-Ruger brochure a couple years back, I didn't notice any particular marketing edge, but I buy used at the gun show or pawn shop.

[X_Digger]

7. Yup, he was quick to prop up a straw man

.. and Hupp was quick to knock it down.

[X_Digger]

6. Interesting perspective, since this originally aired in 1997.. n/t

[Xela]

8. Awesome, listening to it right now...

It doesn't matter if it's from 1997, it is relevant as ever.

Thanks for sharing,

Xela