For years, Dr. Jonathan Metzl thought about gun violence as a public health issue. His approach treated it like an epidemic and treated guns as a health risk. But as he studied a mass shooting that happened near where he lives in Nashville, he realized he had been missing something crucial for years— the cultural power of guns. This hour, as we reflect on the gun violence that has shaken the U.S. in recent weeks, we are listening back to our conversation with Dr. Metzl on his book What We’ve Become: Living and Dying in a Country of Arms.

GUEST:

• Dr. Jonathan Metzl: Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry, and the director of the Department of Medicine, Health, and Society, at Vanderbilt University. His most recent book is What We’ve Become: Living and Dying in a Country of Arms.

This episode originally aired on October 4, 2024.

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