Gun violence in Global Perspective: Learning What Lessons? Event

Event details

It is 20 years now since the awful shooting tragedies of Dunblane and Port Arthur changed the politics of global gun control - arguably forever. Yet mass shootings have continued around the world, especially in the USA, prompting President Obama to wonder why the USA cannot learn the lessons of Britain and Australia and adopt some 'common-sense' and, it would appear, 'popular' gun control measures. It has long been assumed that the USA was something of an exceptional case as regards gun violence, but increasingly it is far more the intransigence of its gun lobby that defines this uniqueness. And, as the dangers of a weaponizing world reveal themselves, this paper will try to reflect upon what 20 years of the emerging interdisciplinary field of 'firearm studies' has taught us; what lessons we still need to learn, and what questions we still need to ask.