“If Everyone Has a Gun, Then I Should Too.”: A Qualitative Exploration of Migrant Gun Perceptions and Experiences in the U.S.

Abstract Gun ownership and gun violence are issues that have garnered significant attention in the United States. Evidence suggests that gun ownership and gun violence are shaped by several components, including race, culture, gender, childhood socialization, and political affiliation. Despite a political climate in the U.S. often tying migrants to gun concerns, there has been limited research exploring how migrant status influences perceptions of and experiences with guns in the U.S. This study uses data from 29 semi-structured interviews with international college students residing in the Southern United States to explore how migrants’ perceptions of guns in the U.S. are shaped by their lived experiences. Emergent themes from the data suggest that participants in our sample often migrate from countries where civilian gun ownership is rare and stigmatized. This contributes to a high degree of shock and fear when faced with the normalization and accessibility of guns in the U.S. Participants reported that gun culture in the U.S. complicates the way they navigate social life and the degree to which they feel comfortable in public settings. This research contributes to a richer understanding of how migrants in the U.S. experience gun culture and provides directions for universities in thinking about fostering cultural exchange and integration to help international students navigate American gun culture.