Like I said about the takedown of Wayne LaPierre by Letitia James sometimes a witch hunt finds a witch. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/b...

Star Scholar Jason Arday Resigns From Cambridge (Gift Article)

Jason Arday was hired by the University of Cambridge in 2023 as the youngest Black professor in its history. Doubt has since been cast on his academic qualifications and claims about his life.

nytimes.com

I have the readings selected for 5 of 9 Sociology of Guns modules that require readings. I need to finish the other 4 modules tomorrow so I can get this to the printer Friday before I leave town. I will, of course, provide the entire syllabus in time if you're curious to know if you made the cut. 🤣

July "Illuminations" newsletter has insights for you from what I've done, what I'm reading, and where I'm going. lightoverheat.substack.com/p/illuminati...

Illuminations #10. Guntry Clubs, Grandkids, and Gun Divestment

Light Over Heat July Digest

lightoverheat.substack.com

As I work on my Sociology of Guns syllabus, I am honoring The Odyssey by creating AI rules that negotiate the Scylla of absolute AI bans and the Charybdis of anything goes.

Course redesign help needed: What questions about guns in America do you wish someone would pursue an answer to with curiosity, open-mindedness, and humility?

I spoke to Charles McFarlane of the @nytimes.com back in June about “guntry clubs” — fancy shooting ranges in unexpected places like Brentwood, California. His story was published last week. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/22/s...

Shooting Ranges Go Quiet Luxury (Gift Article)

Sleek interiors, plush lounges and four-figure membership fees — some of today’s ranges are more aptly called “guntry clubs.”

nytimes.com

Writing is Hard! Gun Culture 2.0 book chapter 1 in progress. Even though I have published some of these ideas before, it still takes so much time and effort to get the writing right.

Glad to see my gun studies colleagues are staying productive this summer. I received 4 invitations to review articles in a week's time. I accepted 2 of the 4.

I did the drawing for not one but two copies of THIS IS A GUN because there was so much interest. If you didn't win, you can buy the book online. You SHOULD buy it: amzn.to/4h5lKZG

My 4-year-old grandson doesn’t usually ask me to read books to him. That changed when he saw "This is a Gun." He asked me to read it to him over and over. Kids are curious about guns. Address the issue before curiosity becomes tragedy. Comment here to enter a drawing for a free copy.

"In the Greek world, honor isn’t tethered to morality." As in Trump world and the manosphere. (My connection, not the author's.) New Yorker does not have gift links but here's the source FYI: Why the Odyssey Keeps Defeating Filmmakers by David Denby www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

Why the Odyssey Keeps Defeating Filmmakers

Full of violence, desire, monsters, and magic, Homer’s epic has tempted directors for decades. Can Christopher Nolan’s new adaptation survive the voyage?

newyorker.com

Professor @davidyamane.bsky.social takes a look at research about new gun owners since the pandemic. Well worth the listen (and subscribe to his substack and YouTube channel, tool) open.substack.com/pub/lightove...

Curiosity Alert: This Research on COVID-Era New Gun Owners Blew My Mind

"Social Disruption, Gun Buying, and Anti-System Beliefs" by Matthew Lacombe, et al.

open.substack.com

Have you bought a book for your pet recently? Reading is fundamental.

Was reminded today that my TEDx talk at @wakeforest.bsky.social crossed over 100,000 views a while back. Grateful for the response and some of the 1,600 comments! 😂 youtu.be/BzB8MX4v8ko?...

Escaping the Gun Debate Trap | David Yamane | TEDxWakeForestU

YouTube video by TEDx Talks

youtu.be

I just picked up Dr. Gary (Cure Violence) Slutkin’s book, THE END OF VIOLENCE. I note that “gun(s)”/“firearm(s)” do not appear in the index. Why? Because guns don’t predict violence. Previous violence predicts violence. To end gun violence, you need to end violence, not guns.

I thought the Great Gun Buying Spree of 2020+ was changing the face of gun owners. This article challenged my ideas about new pandemic-era gun owners. In this video, I discuss “Social Disruption, Gun Buying, and Anti-System Beliefs." lightoverheat.substack.com/p/curiosity-...

Curiosity Alert: This Research on COVID-Era New Gun Owners Blew My Mind

"Social Disruption, Gun Buying, and Anti-System Beliefs" by Matthew Lacombe, et al.

lightoverheat.substack.com

Like many, I saw the Great Gun Buying Spree of 2020+ as diversifying gun ownership. I recently came across an article by political scientist @mjlacombe.bsky.social and colleagues that blew my mind and shook my ideas about new COVID-era gun owners. youtu.be/LrQ46I27to0?...

Curiosity Alert: This Research on COVID-Era New Gun Owners Blew My Mind (LoH #157)

YouTube video by Light Over Heat with Professor David Yamane

youtu.be

Comment here before the start of the Norway-England World Cup match to have a chance to win a free copy of the novel WINCE.

I appreciate the support of & enjoy supporting other authors, so I’m giving away a copy of Drew Nellins Smith's new novel, WINCE. Enter by commenting on this post before the start of the Norway-England World Cup match Saturday. youtu.be/3gbZBdE7xus?...

Win a Free Copy of the New Gun-Laden Novel "Wince" by Drew Nellins Smith (Light Over Heat #156)

YouTube video by Light Over Heat with Professor David Yamane

youtu.be

Don't work in the area anymore but still excited by this. Takes me back to early graduate school when R. Stephen Warner published a 1993 work in progress toward a new paradigm for the study of American religion. There's been a lot of new work since them, but no new paradigms that I know of.

Daniel Winchester@bishopofwestsaxons.bsky.social · 4w ago

IT'S ALIVE! Brainstorming, discussing, writing, and re-writing this piece on the "unbundling" of American religion with @ruthbraunstein.bsky.social, @jlkucinskas.bsky.social, and @bsteens.bsky.social was the most enjoyable part of the process, but it's gratifying to see it officially "out" in ASR.

Pleased to join Michael Siegel in a conversation with @jschildkraut80.bsky.social about our work on "Bridging the Divide on Firearm Policy," a truly unique effort to reduce gun violence and uphold gun rights at the same time. rockinst.org/issue-area/e...

Ep. 129. Bridging the Firearm Divide | Rockefeller Institute of Government

On this episode of Policy Outsider, scholars with the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium showcase the work of Bridging the Divide on Firearm Policy, a coalition of stakeholders across the firea...

rockinst.org

I just backed The Purple Heart Battalion by Chris Cheng on Kickstarter. www.kickstarter.com/projects/top...

The Purple Heart Battalion

A War Novel of Love, Honor, and Survival

kickstarter.com

Among the notable historical events that took place on the 5th of July is Frederick Douglass's 1852 oration, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" It's a long document, but worth reading between World Cup matches today. lightoverheat.substack.com/p/what-to-th...

What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?

Remembering Frederick Douglass's 1852 Oration on the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

lightoverheat.substack.com

Today is July 4th, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration contains powerful words that still point to an aspirational reality. It's worth marking the occasion by reading the original document. lightoverheat.substack.com/p/america-25...

AMERICA 250: The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

A moment for celebration and a reminder

lightoverheat.substack.com

Writing is hard. The world is complex. Writing about the world is . . . 5 hours at the computer working on Gun Culture 2.0 book chapter 1 was powered by (intentionally chosen) tea in (intentionally chosen) Lenox Liberty cup and saucer.

I didn't get much work done in June, but I had a productive month anyway. Read more in the June "Illuminations" newsletter. lightoverheat.substack.com/p/illuminati...

Illuminations #9. An Aspiration, Not an Accomplishment

Light Over Heat June Digest

lightoverheat.substack.com

Timely work by my friend and Wake Forest colleague @charactergap.bsky.social. Chapter 5 has been on my mind for a while now and only getting more pressing.

Back at Apache Solutions Firearms Training for a course I have been wanting to sit in on for years. Citizens Safety Academy "Gateway Instructor Certification Course" taught by Tiffany Johnson and Aqil Qadir. Possibly one of the most important classes I've observed.

Cause a Pause. National Crisis Hotline 988. @walkthetalkamerica.bsky.social

Grateful to have Apache Solutions Firearms Training close by so I can take unique courses like "Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why," a 9 hour classroom course by John Hearne of Two Pillars Training. The Honorary Nerd pocket protector is the best swag I've gotten at a gun course.