Men, Masculinity and Gun: Can we Break the Link? (2009)

The majority of men do not own or use guns: gun use must therefore be understood as a choice. A combination of social, economic and political factors combine to create the notion that gun violence is a legitimate option for a man. This paper examine how constructions of masculinities and fepmininites work to legitimate the belief that an acceptable and adequate man is one who is willing and able to coerce others by violent means. It will also look at how the association between power and violence in broader social structures servers to perpetuate gun violence. Violent masculinity is not inevitable.