Mass Shooting tragedies: 22 years on “Debate changers” · Evidence based gun policy : USA 1. Establishing a universal background check system (NICS), from 3 to 10 days 2. All

Mass Shooting tragedies: 22 years on“Debate changers”

Peter SquiresUniversity of Brighton

Dunblane Port Arthur Sandy Hook Orlando Las Vegas

More routine questions of gun violence: supply, demand, regulation, enforcement

From

‘Bang’ – goes the neighbourhood… BSC conference proceedings 1995 ?ToFirearm Studies: 20 years on: what have we learned ? [BSC/ANZSOC 2016]AndGun Studies Symposium, Arizona, 2017

Critical Social Science Research on Firearms: Contributions to Policy and Public Safety.

CriticalFirearm Studies

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

Contributions to Policy and Public Safety

Synthesis and innovation?

• Gun crime/Criminology• Gun deaths & injury

epidemiology• Arms control• International relations• Human rights• DDR studies / Peace-

making• NGOs – intervention

evaluations• Violence ethnographies

INTERDISCIPLINARITY

Synthesis and innovation?

• Gun crime/Criminology• Gun deaths & injury

epidemiology• Arms control• International relations• Human rights• DDR studies / Peace-

making• NGOs – intervention

evaluations• Violence ethnographies

Neo-liberalism

Globalisation

Weaponisation

INTERDISCIPLINARITY

Critical Firearm Studies

US Gun Criminology: the administrative

criminology of the gun

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Japan

Norway

E & W

Australia

Spain

Sweden

Netherlands

Germany

France

Finland

Belgium

Denmark

Italy

Portugal

Canada

Switzerland

Croatia

Greece

Turkey

Russian Fed.

USA

Brazil

Ethiopia

Puerto Rico

Central African Rep

Congo

Malawi

Lesotho

Uganda

Zambia

South Africa

Colombia

US Virgin Is.

Guatemala

Belize

Ivory Coast

Venezuela

Jamaica

El Salavador

Honduras

USA

England & Wales

Rates of Firearm Homicide by 100,000 Population

Evidence based gun policy : USA

1. Establishing a universal background check system (NICS), from 3 to 10 days2. All sales facilitated through a federally licensed gun dealer.3. Require all firearm owners to report the theft or loss of their firearm within 72

hours of becoming aware of its loss4. Prohibiting High-Risk Individuals from Purchasing Guns (extending exemptions:

violent misdemeanours, violence as juveniles, drug or alcohol offences, gang members, stalkers, restraining orders)

5. Mental Health (dangerousness, funds for extending NICS)6. Trafficking, Dealer Licensing & tracing; Personalized Guns and safety

Assault Weapons (ban on sale); High Capacity Magazine; Research Funding/Support

CriticalFirearmStudies



Firearms as social movement politics

Jennifer Carlson3 articles:

Carlson, J.D., 2012. ‘I Don’t Dial 911’: American Gun Politics

and the Problem of Policing. British Journal of Criminology.

Carlson, J.D., 2013. States, subjects and sovereign

power: Lessons from global gun cultures.

Theoretical Criminology, p.1362480613508424.

Carlson, J., 2014. The equalizer? Crime, vulnerability,

and gender in pro-gun discourse.

Feminist Criminology, 9(1), pp.59-83.

[White...] men’s need to carry guns is not rooted in

practical self-defense, rather they carry because they

are compensating for a wider sense of diminished

masculinity, status and authority in a modern world,

and widely shared perceptions of social crisis.

Gun carriers are part of a wider neo-liberal

socio-political movement

Melzer: the

demographics

of gun

ownership





Guns and ‘culture’ wars

Culture:

Personal and Civic Responsibility

Individualism

Sanctioned authorityCastle Doctrine/Stand your Ground

Law & Order

The right to kill






Militarizationof civilian gun

ownership

Civilian Purchase of assault Weapons

Gun industry: Market growth

Growing frequency/lethality of Mass casualty shootings

Assault weapon ban 1994-04

California: state level assault weapon ban: 2016

UN Arms Trade Treaty 2013

WFSA: the only non-civilian gun, fully automatic firing







ownershipPerpetrators

Masculinity / ies, Gangs, Mass shooter profilesMental health/ “loner” -Lone wolf terroristEmbittered/ grudge,‘radicalised’, Classroom- workplace avenger

Mass shooters also tend to have common psychological and behavioural characteristics such as depression, resentment, social isolation, the tendency to externalise rather than internalise blame, fascination with graphically violent entertainment, and a significant interest in weaponry

http://www.internetjournalofcriminology.com/book_review_mccreary_extreme_killing_ijc_august_2011.pdf

Two further profiles• Gang members• Militia groups• Insurgencies• Child soldiers

• Children of conflict

• Ageing legal gun owners








Prevalence &Proliferation studies

Proportion all gun deaths per 100,000, and gun suicides per 100,000 population

Gun Ownership and Firearm-related DeathsS.Bangalore, MD, F.H. Messerli, MDThe American Journal of Medicine (2013) 126, 873-876

J.N. van Kesteren: Revisiting the Gun Ownership and Violence Link, Brit J. Crim 2014 Vol 54: 53-72.

“The current study debunks the widely quoted hypothesis that guns make a society safer”

“Analysis of the data from 26 countries show that owners of ahandgun show increased risk for victimization by violent crime”

875 million firearms (small arms/guns) in the world today, roughly one for every seven people on the planet; around 8 million added each year

650 million of these weapons are in the hands of civilians. 200 million – military25 Million – law enforcement

96% in men’s hands

?? Legality / illegality

Every year around three-quarters of a million people die (directly or indirectly) as a result of gun crime or conflict, most deaths occurring in the poorest yet also most highly weaponised parts of the world.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Japan

Norway

E & W

Australia

Spain

Sweden

Netherlands

Germany

France

Finland

Belgium

Denmark

Italy

Portugal

Canada

Switzerland

Croatia

Greece

Turkey

Russian Fed.

USA

Brazil

Ethiopia

Puerto Rico

Central African Rep

Congo

Malawi

Lesotho

Uganda

Zambia

South Africa

Colombia

US Virgin Is.

Guatemala

Belize

Ivory Coast

Venezuela

Jamaica

El Salavador

Honduras

Rate of Firearm Homicide by 100,000 Population

USA

England & Wales









Complex illegaleconomy

Illegal Firearm UseE & W: 2013-14

Converted firearms Air weaponsStolen WeaponsImitation firearms Reactivated firearms (criminal armourers)Antique firearms and ‘collectors’Lost or Stolen guns

Sharing the guns around3D printing technology; modular firearms

British gun crime figures: gun typesThe sub-prime junk gun market ?

Criminal ArmourersAs a semi-organisedCriminal sub-group

InnocentNovicePotential/CollectorIdeologicalCommercialHome ConverterProfessionalSmugglerDark Net

ArmourerMiddleman/purchaserFacilitatorCustodianCourier

http://britsoccrim.org/volume15/pbcc_2015_williamson.pdf










Politics and Regime

What predicts gun Law reform

following a mass shooting (Europe)

Substantial change / Some change• Dunblane (Scotland)

• Erfurt (Germany

• Winnenden (Germany)

• Kauhajoki (Finland)

• Antwerp (Belgium)

No change

• Cumbria (England)

• Bad Reichenhall (Germany)

• Lorrach (Germany)

• Jokela (Finland)

• Zug (Switzerland)

Factors: Event complexity; societal demand; coherence of opposition interests;

alliance with elite interests; stage of electoral cycle; political and institutional

hurdles

S. Hurka, 2016

Social democratic

Conservative corporatist

Neo-liberal Oriental,

Colonial,

Dictat, Racial.

Failed or failing state

Frontier or War zone

CHARACTERISTICSSocial and economic org.

Universal

welfarist

Status related

selection

Free market

individualism

Regime related

infrastructure

Scarcity, Conflict Militarized

confrontation

Social and economic differentials

Largely

egalitarian

Hierarchical,

traditional

Formal equality

but extreme

income inequality

Regime related

inequality

Inequality,

conflict

Subordinated to

military

authority

Citizen-state relations

Social democracy Corporatist

democracy

Utilitarian

democracy

Regime

inclusivity

Conflicted,

lawless

Martial law,

Warfare

Dominant ideological discourses

Equal opportunity Traditional (ie:

qualified)

meritocracy

Individualism,

freedom,

marketised

Regime related

pragmatism

Social

Darwinism,

survival

Warlordism,

warrior culture

Citizen inclusivity/ exclusivity

Social inclusion Traditionally

limited inclusions/

exclusions

Social exclusions Regime related

exclusions

Clan, gang,

cartel or group

related,

vigilantism

Victim or enemy

Political orientation Left Traditional, elite

conservative

Neo-liberal/Right Regime

centred,

hierarchical

Arbitrary,

conditional,

corrupted

Hierarchical,

military

command

Penal culture Human rights,

rehabilitation

‘Order through

law’

‘Law and order’

priority, part

privatised

Regime

selective

enforcement

Arbitrary,

corrupt

Enemies,

combatants

Form of punishment Reparative Traditional

symbolic

Exclusionary Regime

protective

Delegated or

private violence

Elimination

Rate of punishment, victimisation

Low Medium High Regime

selective

High, arbitrary High collateral

victimisation

Regime security Social security Traditional rule of

law

Rule of law Regime

protection

Compromised,

corrupt, private

Military control

Degree of “weaponisation”

Relatively low

(exceptions: Fin,

Norway, Switz),

Legal gun

ownership

Limited,

legal/traditional,

elitist, duty

Relatively high,

legal and illegal,

personal

protection

choices

Regime

related, often

strict controls

(eg Japan,

Singapore)

High,

unregulated,

illegal gun

ownership

predominant

High, illegal.

normalised

Violence Regimes: Guns, Values and Security










Politics and Regime

Policing & Enforcement

Policing (illegal) firearms• Supply controls• Effective Licensing, data sharing • Trafficking, tracing, intelligence sharing• Ballistics intelligence capacity, collaboration• Proactivity• Border controls, fast parcel systems, dark net• Demand suppression, communities










Politics and Regime


Violence ethnographies











Politics and Regime



Global DDR & Governance

Global DDR, Development and Governance

• Disarmament Studies, Demobilisation• NGO involvement in peace-building• Global Arms control (ATT: 2013)• Economic Development• Community capacity• Security• Human rights










Politics and Regime



Global DDR & Governance

Globalisation

Neo-liberalism

Globalisation

Weaponisation

progressive destruction of livelihood

growing extremes of inequality

withdrawal of public services and support

erosion of informal networks of mutuality

spread of a materialistic and neglectful culture

the deregulation of the technology of violence

the weakening of social and political alternatives

WEAPONISATION

Elliott Currie (1997): the facilitators of urban decline: a theory of post industrial

violence SEVEN DIMENSIONS

Neo-liberalism, GlobalisationWeaponisation

• Economic liberalisation/fictionally ‘Free’ markets• Heightened aspirations/ relative deprivations • Formal (not substantive) democratisation• Competitive individualism – the ‘entrepreneurial’ self• Inequality• Winner – loser: commodification of social relations• Free economy/Strong state: rollback/roll-

out/delegation• Securitisation – of property, of self.• Devolved governance/ Governance from below

Documents

Mass Shooting tragedies: 22 years on “Debate changers” · Evidence based gun policy : USA 1. Establishing a universal background check system (NICS), from 3 to 10 days 2. All