"Arming the Good Guys?": An Examination of Racial Framing in Students for Concealed Carry on Campus

Abstract

Over the last several decades, issues relating to gun rights have received growing attention from the academic community. Much of this research focuses on the importance of masculinity and violence and shaping modern gun culture in the United States. While these studies are important, they fail to analyze the importance of race in development of the modern gun rights organization. Addressing this gap in the literature, I engaged in 30 in-depth interviews with members of the student-based gun rights organization Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC). Based on my conversations with the members of SCCC, I discovered a very intense pro-white/anti-other racial framing guiding much of SCCC membership.