American Gun Culture: Collectors, Shows, and the Story of the Gun

Taylor focuses on the value that gun owners place on their guns and the possibility that different guns mean different things to their owners. His research explores the symbolic meaning of guns, and the ways in which the meaning assigned to guns influences gun ownership and use. Some of the more interesting findings center around conversations with gun collectors and enthusiasts about a series of interaction rituals; rituals pertaining to being a gun owner, a gun user, and possibly even the gun as an object of near-worship. Gun owners also recognize a unique stigma, and respond through a complex series of stigma management techniques.