Gun rights groups, headed by the National Rifle Association, have argued since the early 1990s that the spread of firearms is essential to maintaining freedom in America, making a very wide interpretation of the Second Amendment necessary to protect all other rights . But is this argument true? Do guns indeed make us free? To find out, hosts Kelly and JJ are joined by Brady President Kris Brown and political philosopher Dr. Firmin DeBrabander. Together, they discuss the myth that guns equal freedom from tyranny, the role the NRA has (and continues to play) in sharing that rhetoric, and how myth is being played out in current legislation, like Stand Your Ground laws.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Do Guns Make Us Free? Democracy and the Armed Society (Yale University Press)
The Gun-Rights Movement Fed America’s Insurrectionist Fever Dreams (Atlantic)
Freedom of an Armed Society (TedX)
Dissolve the NRA (Brady)
Read More
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111: The Danger of "Stand Your Ground" Laws
January 19, 2021 -
110: Insurrection at the Capitol: What’s Broken and How to Fix It
January 11, 2021 -
72: "Stand Your Ground" Laws, Culture, & What It Means
June 15, 2020 -
70: 2020, Guns, and the Insurrectionist Idea
June 2, 2020 -
31: A Giant Temper Tantrum
December 11, 2019