Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Anthropology

Second Department

Politics and International Relations

Reader 1

Professor Gabriela Morales

Reader 2

Professor Nancy Neiman

Reader 3

Professor Pamela Bromley

Rights Information

2026 Tess K Frazer

Abstract

Situated at the intersection of Cultural Anthropology and Politics, this thesis is an ethnographic exploration of contemporary gun ownership on the political left. According to hegemonic cultural conception, gun ownership belongs to the political right and is often associated with conservative, white, masculinity (Hubbert and Eaton 2023). Left-leaning armament is often considered a paradox, where people’s multiple identities are in tension. Recently, however, left-leaning gun ownership is on the rise, and discourses about gun ownership are shifting (Azrael et al. 2021; Wertz et al. 2018). Much of the existing scholarship in the field of Gun Studies is focused on the political right, and while there is growing scholarship about gun ownership on the left, much of the data that exists is quantitative and based in policy, which does not capture an ethnographic perspective.

Drawing on ethnographic interviews and bringing together theories of hegemony, subjectivity, affect, vulnerability, and political subject formation, I argue that left-leaning gun owners reconfigure the meaning of gun ownership in the United States by rejecting the weapon’s role as an identity marker and symbol of power. Guns for protection and self defense are held reluctantly and are considered pragmatic tools in response to perceived vulnerability and threat. These left-leaning gun owners both acknowledge and resist dominant stereotypes of American gun culture, positioning themselves in tension with right-wing gun hegemonies even as they remain partially entangled in them. Discreet and quietly practiced, left-leaning gun ownership is often rooted in an explicit ethical and political commitment to responsible gun ownership, collectivity,  responsibility, and reasonable regulation. These left-leaning gun owners also dream of an imagined future in which these tools are no longer required for safety. Ultimately, this research contributes to the field of Gun Studies 2.0 by revealing firearms as a dynamic site of struggle where competing visions of safety, citizenship, and legitimacy are continually being renegotiated.

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This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

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