When asked their policy preference on guns, police prioritize gun rights over gun control at a ratio of 3:1. The application of the law is therefore governed by the same biases found in all areas of American society—and particularly by racial disparity. Here PUP Speaks speaker Jennifer Carlson explains why ‘Policing the Second Amendment’ is more black and white than we might like to believe.
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Jennifer Carlson is Professor of Sociology at Arizona State University, where she directs the Center for the Study of Guns in Society. In 2022 she was awarded a MacArthur Genius grant for her research into how guns shape American life, including those who survive gun violence’s harrowing aftermath, police who enforce the country’s complex gun laws, gun sellers and retailers who are on the front lines of surges in gun purchasing, and the people who choose to own and carry guns.