The portrayal of American gun culture by the media is, at best, biased and intentionally misleading.
Despite having the Second Amendment clearly enshrined in our Constitution and subsequent affirmation from Supreme Court cases like D.C. vs. Heller, many in the media insert their personal disdain for private ownership of firearms when covering the issue.
They lecture law-abiding Americans on what they should and shouldn’t own, despite having armed security guards of their own. Legal gun ownership is often conflated with criminal wrongdoing. Reporting is overwhelming negative and antagonistic towards law-abiding gun owners and hunters— often lumping them with mass shooters and serial killers, respectively. If someone uses their firearm safely and legally to deter criminals and would-be malcontents, it’s either dismissed or suppressed.
That, however, is changing.
One publication that is giving gun owners fair coverage is TIME Magazine, which just released its November 5th “Guns In America” cover and issue. It was a joint effort between the renowned media outlet and French artist JR, a past TIME 100 winner, who wanted to learn more about American gun culture and communicate it through art.
JR spent roughly five months traveling the U.S. to create his vision—specifically stopping in the cities of St. Louis, Missouri, Dallas, Texas, and Washington, D.C.—photographing and interviewing 245 Americans boasting diverse views on firearms.
The cover was meticulously assembled by JR “in a tableau that evokes not only the spirit of debate associated with the Founding Fathers but something else as well—the unity that flows from a sense of shared enterprise,” writes TIME.
In an article titled Why TIME Devoted an Issue to Guns in America, editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal wrote why the cover carries importance in the gun debate.
“What drew me to this collaboration was the hope that his creativity and outsider’s perspective could help those of us in America think differently about this debate, and the many others where rage too often substitutes for discourse,” writes Felsenthal.
He added, “The final result brought together 245 people from every imaginable vantage point: veterans and teachers, hunters and doctors, people afraid that guns may kill their children and people afraid they won’t have guns to protect their children.”
An accompanying TIME article, “Guns Have Divided America. Here’s What Happens When 245 People Try to Meet in the Middle,” concluded the project had accomplished a major goal: bringing opposing views of the gun debate together.
The article notes, “Yet as we learned from listening to many of the voices in our project, two clear themes—responsibility and the need for extraordinary care around lethal force—are common to both the ethos of gun ownership and the stated goals of those who seek controls. Which commends them as logical starting points for a conversation that takes place not through elected surrogates, and not online, but face to face, where Americans still tend to get along pretty well.”
It’s very rare for mainstream media outlets like TIME to see the nuance of firearms ownership, but the reporters and artist had honorable intentions. I was honored to be one of the 245 participants representing the pro-hunting and pro-Second Amendment perspective.
On the morning of October 25th, JR and Felsenthal unveiled the cover on CBS This Morning.
JR said he was interested in collaborating with TIME because he felt he was naive about the issue. Having delved into other political issues in his work, the artist had the intent to represent all views on firearms.
“In France, where I come from, we don’t have guns like that,” said JR on the program. “I was always curious seeing this through the news, seeing these mass shootings, how did that happen? But I’m also really naive about it. So, I went and asked the people themselves and asked them to tell me their story and I haven’t changed a word from it.”
During their appearance, cohost Bianna Golodryga suggested that the National Rifle Association and its members had no part in the project.
“We should note, the NRA declined to participate,” she said.
Immediately, Felsenthal jumped in to correct her and said, “But we have their [NRA] members. They’re part of it. The diversity of voices is really fascinating.”
The cover has been recreated as murals to inspire thoughtful conversations on firearms in America. It will be prominently displayed at various locations in New York City, Philadelphia, Denver, Washington, D.C., Boston, Dallas, Detroit, and New Orleans for the next few weeks.
A multitude of gun owners and Second Amendment advocates were displayed on the cover, including those in particular who partake in hunting, competitive shooting sports, have survived domestic violence, or were family members of fallen police officers.
One participant that immediately sticks out is Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), who was critically injured during a politically-motivated shooting in June 2017 during practice in Alexandria, Virginia, leading up to the charity Congressional Baseball Game. Since the attack, Scalise has remained unwavering in his Second Amendment views.
“I’ve experienced both sides of this debate,” said Scalise. “But ultimately, it was people with guns that were able to counter the shooter and save the rest of us.”
“A strong Secondment Amendment is critical to keeping our community safe,” he added. “If there weren’t those two police officers David Bailey and Crystal Brian there with guns to counter the shooter, then we all would have been taken out that day.”
The Majority Whip added that responsible gun owners are out there everyday saving people’s lives. He emphasized the need to have those stories told to counter the negative ones.
What’s my takeaway from participating in the “Guns in America” issue for TIME? I’m satisfied with the final product. I felt very comfortable lending my voice and my perspective to the project. Our side—comprising the likes of competitive shooters, hunters, business owners, preachers, and activists across diverse racial, gender, and socio-economic lines—had excellent representation.
Some detractors urged me to withdraw my participation from the project when time came to be interviewed in September. They said my words would be twisted, contorted and used against me. They couldn’t be more off-target.
I’m of the belief that we must go into unchartered territory and civilly engage with those who share different views. It’s simply not enough to remain in an echo chamber; it’s important to educate the masses—especially those ambivalent who find themselves in the middle—that firearms in the hands of law-abiding Americans isn’t criminal.
As the final product shows, pro-Second Amendment perspectives were presented clearly and without selective editing. The feedback I’ve gotten as a result of my participation has been nothing short of positive. As a gun owner, concealed handgun permit holder, and new hunter who happens to be first-generation American, I thought my unique perspective on firearms ownership would help lend credibility to the project.
If mainstream outlets are covering firearms, I believe they should cover it fairly and have surrogates who are well-spoken participate. TIME was cognizant of that and did an impressive job of representing different views on firearms.
If other Americans can lend a clear and cogent articulation in defense of legal gun ownership for self-defense and hunting purposes, I’m confident we can change hearts and minds on the issue.
Thank you, TIME. I hope other media outlets follow suit and cover gun issues fairly going forward.