Axelbank Reports History and Today

#140: Drew McKevitt: "Gun Country"

November 07, 2023 Evan Axelbank
Axelbank Reports History and Today
#140: Drew McKevitt: "Gun Country"
Show Notes

In 2021, there were 48,830 people in America who were killed by bullets fired from guns. Some of those deaths were purposeful, others accidental, and still others self-inflicted. The bullets were fired from a share of the 400 million guns owned by - or stolen from - Americans. In "Gun Country: Gun Capitalism, Culture and Control in Cold War America," Dr. Drew McKevitt argues that the choice to have that many guns is not so much determined by Constitution as it is the unavoidable consequence of politicians allowing a consumer culture, where guns are seen as a lifestyle product, to run relatively unfettered. Dr. McKevitt explores how capitalism following World War II allowed guns to be seen and sold as an accessory to everyday life, and how that culture brought deadly consequences to millions of people.

Drew McKevitt is on the website formerly known as Twitter at https://x.com/drewmckevitt

His website can be found at https://andrewcmckevitt.com/about/

Information on his book from The University of North Carolina Press can be found at https://uncpress.org/book/9781469677248/gun-country/

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