Center for the Study of Guns in Society
Housed in the Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, the Center for the Study of Guns in Society is a first-of-its-kind center–one that brings social science approaches to the gun debate to forge a forum for those across the debate to engage, learn, and elevate.
Drawing on ASU’s charter of inclusivity, public values and community impact, CSGS imagines a different kind of space for the gun debate. This is a space that prioritizes listening to and learning from perspectives different from our own; enhancing our knowledge about the nuances of the gun debate including the complexities of gun laws, the interlocked consequences of gun violence, and the intricacies of guns themselves; and bringing rigorous and thoughtful data and evidence to understand where we are in the gun debate and where we might go next.
We invite you to get to know the CSGS community of scholars, learn about the kinds of research we do, and engage the conversation by listening to our podcast or dropping in on our events.
In the News
May 29, 2024
The divisiveness of today's gun debate isn't inevitable--if we dare to have a different kind of gun debate. CSGS Director Jennifer Carlson weighs in with Prof. Dan Semenza (Rutgers) in this piece from Starts with Us on citizen solutions.
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In a new Aeon essay, Megan Kang (PhD candidate at Princeton University and BRIDGS Emergent Fellow) analyzes the present-day prevalence of guns in US society by looking to 20th century history--and drawing on a unique dataset developed by Kang and her colleague Elizabeth Rasich.