Guns, An American Conversation: How to Bridge Political Divides

by Spaceship Media

From Pulitzer Prize–winning Can complete strangers representing every point along the political divide engage in civil and productive discourse on the topic of gun control?

As Americans, we spend a lot of time talking about guns. With the political division in the country, evidenced by the Capitol insurrection and voter fraud protests, it’s not surprising that we rarely have real conversations with people whose ideas don’t align with ours about gun ownership. Democrats and liberals usually talk with other Democrats and liberals, not Republicans and conservatives.

That is, perhaps, why the country is so divided when it comes to reducing gun violence.

Guns, an American Conversation features the results of a fascinating nationwide conversation about guns. A group of 150 strangers were brought together in a month-long moderated Facebook group chat. They featured teachers, Second Amendment advocates, hunters, police officers, and mothers and fathers from across the political spectrum and the fifty states.

Together, they participated in a project meant to foster civil, yet honest, dialogue between people whose backgrounds and beliefs led them to have opposing views on the issue of gun control.

Guns attempts to map out common territory in a nation driven by profound divides. It includes real information about gun laws in the United States, providing the reader with tools to continue the discussion in their own lives. With sidebars, charts, and graphics that are clear and easy to navigate, Guns might not change your mind about gun control, but it will help you learn to cross divides in conversation as America navigates the way forward on this difficult issue.

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 29, 2020

Reviews

[Maed Between the Pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.

I wish this contained more actual quotes from the Facebook Group where these discussions actually occurred, but the selected passages were still sufficient to get me thinking about lots of different perspectives. I consider myself to be quite middle-of-the-road when it comes to gun rights, but I would be lying if I said some comments didn't upset me or spark anger. Which of course is the point. To sit with and accept that feeling, and then determine the best way to engage with the topic going forward. I'm definitely very much interested in Spaceship Media and their other projects after reading this (as well as other groups with similar goals that were mentioned in 'Additional Resources').

I haven't always been successful in engaging productively with those I vehemently disagree with, and I'm sure I wont be in the future, but as the book says "...it gets better in the trying. So try we must."

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spaceship Media was spot on with how they handled a conversation with participants on both sides of the gun debate via a closed Facebook page. They were able to get people to come together to express their opinions and views without recrimination and hatred. The moderators did a great job of keeping everyone in check with the rules of engagement and at times had to ask some to leave because of aggression for lack of a better word.
The whole point of what Spaceship Media did was to bring civility into focus, which is something that has eroded from people in the past ten plus years. It was to get people to understand that they could agree to disagree without calling one another names or dispensing threats.
Everyone should read this book. I learned a bit from it especially in regards to AR15s. I'm a gun owner with a concealed carry permit. I was against AR15s because I thought they were fully automatic weapons. I received an education on this plus a lot of statistics regarding the number of deaths via firearms. I got a better understanding of how to engage people in a conversation regarding any subject in the hopes of getting to understand their point of view whether I felt the same or not. I know there are some who will never get past the screaming and finger pointing but I know not to waste my time with them.
Spaceship Media has proven that you can have a conversation and still hold onto your beliefs or as in the case of some move more towards the center based on what you learn. You'd be surprised at the outcome. A very fast read (in one day - less than eight hours of your time)...go for it!

[Mark Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has 3 components

1) Provides a comprehensive discussion on the political conversation involving guns. This is a lot more nuanced than your typical talking-heads debate

2) A how-to for journalists on creating a project that will be both interesting and impactful. If you're a journalist, you can probably find a way that Dialogue Journalism will work for you.

3) Teaching people how they can have better conversations with people they disagree with. This comes at the end of the book with a group that Spaceship Media paired up with for this project.

It handles all 3 components very well and it does so efficiently. I finished the book in 2 sittings. It moves quickly and is easy to understand.

Strongly recommend.

(Not sure if it is okay to plug my own work, but in the interest of better educating a potential reader ...) I interviewed the co-founder of Spaceship Media, Eve Pearlman, on a podcast about journalism that I host. You can find it here

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

[Peter Z.]

Now Hear This: There is nothing to "discuss". If you want to bridge a divide, quit trying to infringe on a right that shall not be infringed. Stop trying to decide what guns are good or bad, stop trying every which way to add onerous taxes licenses and fees to every part of the process, and basically get the hell out of the space between me and the guns. There is no compromise because we have learned that every past compromise only leads to calls for more "compromise". No, we don't compromise on any other right, and we won't compromise on our God given right to self defense. This isn't about hunting. It's about exercising our right to overthrow a government that abuses the very people who created it. Anyone who does not understand that principle, has not earned a seat at the table of discussion. Legitimate topics for discussion include why the rich have armed security guards in unsafe places where ordinary citizens cannot arm themselves; and why children in schools and the faithful in church, in many states, are the victims of "gun free zones" aka "free mass murder zones".

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book.

This book takes a in-depth investigation into views on guns in America, trying to bridge the bigger gap that is political sides. Taking a sampling of people from all walks of life and asking them to have an honest conversation about their views on guns. Throughout this, as questions turned to meaningful conversations (sometimes heated), Spaceship Media would step in to gave facts and definitions. Basically, they're trying to break down the nuisances to show how we're more alike than not.

I appreciated the setup, where everyone comes to the table with set definitions of the issues before the conversation; they're educated and armed with facts. It's something we've gotten away from.

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book because I wanted to learn more about gun rights and safety in the U.S. It not only deepened my understanding of both anti-gun and pro-gun viewpoints but also emphasized the importance of approaching emotionally charged conversations with respect and curiosity. This style of 'dialogue' journalism was so enlightening. I liked how the journalists worked to teach a diverse group of people how to engage in meaningful, productive dialogue with others who held opposing views on gun rights. This book inspired me to become a more empathetic listener and discuss differing opinions with openness and understanding. Highly recommend!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating exercise where people on both sides of the gun issues are brought together in an environment designed to promote open discussion. By really listening to the other side, it changes our understanding of the issues. They started with a weekend in Washington dc and progressed to a month long Facebook dialog. This is a great social experiment and truly a unique way to examine these issues.
I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway but the opinions expressed are solely my own.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is about a literal conversation between people with opposing views on guns that takes book in a closed Facebook group moderated by Spaceship Media. The conversation introduces you some of the thinking in the guns conversation, associated groups, and tactics in how to keep the conversation open but polite with a person that has opposing view points to your own regarding the guns.

It has a lot of resources in the back to help further your research. This book is great for someone trying to figure your ones own stance.

[Karen Troutman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guns, An American Conversation
How to Bridge Political Divides
by The Editors at Spaceship Media
Tiller Press
Politics
Pub Date 13 Oct 2020 | Archive Date 19 Nov 2020

Published today!! Get out there and read this book. The editors follow a group of about 150 strangers and monitor their discussion about guns. Very interesting book.
This is a hot topic at our library so I can't wait to see what our patrons think.

4 star

[Christopher Armani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and informative.

[M.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book's unique approach to handling a difficult topic.

[Estr · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept was great but I would’ve wanted to hear more of the conversations from the Facebook group chat not just facts.

[Goldie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really prepared to love this book. I'm not American (I'm British), but like most people living in the English speaking world, I absorb a lot of American culture, media, and news. I also primarily work for Americans and have to write in American English for my job.

As someone outside of the US, the gun debate has always been so interesting to me. Growing up in the UK, guns have not been a part of the public discourse in my lifetime. But I do respect that for Americans, it's a nuanced issue. I'm also a big believer in the importance of talking to people from the other side, the people you disagree with. That's what really attracted me to this book. I was excited to read civilized discussion and debate from people on both sides on a topic that so often gets heated.

Ultimately, I think the book just fell flat for me for a few reasons.

- I think editors overdid the "explaining the purpose and rules" thing. It felt very repetitive at times. It seemed like each time someone expressed an opinion or broke a rule etc.; we got the same "the purpose of Guns, An American Conversation, is to...". Say it once, maybe twice, but then leave it.
- I would have liked to see more conversations. It seems like we only got a very small snippet of the comments.
- I would have liked to read more comment chains or back-and-forth. Sometimes I felt like it was getting into interesting territory, but then it moved on quickly.

Overall, I think the concept is excellent, and what Spaceship Media did was a great idea. I'd like to see this kind of thing implemented more in the future. I just think the execution of the book was a little lacking. I kept thinking that there must be so much material they're not using, which could have made the book incredibly interesting.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of "Guns An American Conversation" by The Editors of Spaceship Media, through the "Good Reads First Reads Giveaway."

This is a well written book, it explains conversations between conflicting ideas. Spaceship Media has many ideas of how to approach conversations. They eliminate self serving methods from interactions. They have many wonderful ideas of how to communicate with somebody who completely disagrees with you.

[Franchesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The team at Spaceship Media uses dialogue journalism ("a method for convening and supporting fact-based conversations between people on opposite sides of polarizing social and political fractures") to have a civil, moderated, practical conversation about guns across a diverse group of American people. I learned a lot about guns and gun laws, different reasons why people hold the views they do, how to begin and hold meaningful conversations about difficult topics, and more. This is not a topic I discuss often or have very strong feelings about either way. It was interesting and I enjoyed exploring the differing points of view and learning more about guns, gun safety and people's feelings and beliefs surrounding them and why they feel that way.

Thank you Goodreads giveaways and Spaceship Media for the Advance Reader's Edition!