iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I was surprised to find that no one (that I could find despite extensive searching) has used the term "handgunization" before to describe this shift in American gun culture. Working on Chapter 3 of my book Gun Culture 2.0 ongoing. lightoverheat.substack.com/p/handguniza...

lightoverheat.substack.com

Handgunization

The transformation of American gun ownership, 1973–2024

020

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Something about "it's not the odds, it's the stakes."

130

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Timely! This week in Sociology of Guns we look at whether gun ownership is "rational" and will read closely about defensive gun use via the National Crime Victimization Survey!

130

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

This Substack post cites A LOT of research on firearms related harms, and also some about guns and gun owners.

120

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Full and productive day of gunology yesterday, completing a solid draft of 10 paragraphs on "handgunization" totaling 1,800 words. That's more than one paragraph an hour!

030

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Two things can be true at once.

000

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Many ways to slice the data pie. Are you a lumper or a splitter when it comes to gun ownership data? (Not to be confused with the splitters in Monty Python’s Life of Brian.) lightoverheat.substack.com/p/are-you-a-...

lightoverheat.substack.com

Are You a Lumper or a Splitter?

Who owns guns in America depends on how you slice the data

021

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

One of the questions we take up in my Sociology of Guns seminar. No easy answers. lightoverheat.substack.com/p/how-do-you...

lightoverheat.substack.com

How Do You Count Guns When No One Is Keeping Track?

Estimating the U.S. gun stock from survey data

021

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Who would drive 3 hours each way for a one hour class presentation? This guy! "The Paradox of Guns: Normality and Violence" at Randolph College.

130

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

A Tenured Professor Can Survive. I may not be able to skin a buck or run a trotline, but I sure as hell didn't wait for our copier tech to show up to change the cyan cartridge on our machine. Own first responder! #selfreliance

030

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Malcolm Gladwell says our gun conversations are dishonest. I say guns cloud people's thinking, and I'm not immune. So I spent 30 minutes checking one footnote in my new Substack post to make sure I didn't get a fact wrong. lightoverheat.substack.com/p/guns-cloud...

lightoverheat.substack.com

Guns Cloud People’s Thinking

Malcolm Gladwell says our gun conversations are dishonest. I'm not so sure.

050

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I've been working on the same book chapter for 10 years or more. The world won't stand still long enough for me to capture it in words. But I love the research, thinking, and writing that are at the heard of the scholarly life. Truly privileged.

010

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I use Claude to proofread my work for structure, sensibility, repetition, spelling, and grammar, and it does well at capturing basic problems. But it's got nothing on my human writing accountability partner, Lynn, as this post-Claude feedback shows.

040

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

My chat w/ @stephengutowski.bsky.social about “Teaching Gun Sociology” is the 11th most-viewed vid on The Reload’s YouTube channel, and that includes three videos with Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons fame. It would be cool to bump this video into the Top 10, wouldn’t it? youtu.be/yRos26YEJw8?...

youtu.be

Teaching a College Course on Guns in America (Ft. Wake Forest's David Yamane)

YouTube video by The Reload

131

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Fourth and probably final Fall 2026 Sociology of Guns student field trip reflection essay: “My Opinion Has Become More Complicated." lightoverheat.substack.com/p/my-opinion...

lightoverheat.substack.com

“My Opinion Has Become More Complicated”

Fall 2026 student gun range field trip reflection essay #4

040

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Curiosity and open-mindedness are key virtues I hope students develop in my class. But I also recognize some of them bring these with them. As this student's gun range field trip reflection shows. lightoverheat.substack.com/p/i-started-...

lightoverheat.substack.com

“I Started to Question How This Is Not More Regulated”

Fall 2026 student gun range field trip reflection essay #3

050

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

First I've heard of this. Thanks for the suggestion. Am making note.

000

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I've been spending some time with historian Catherine Fletcher's new book, "The Firearm Revolution: From Renaissance Italy to the European Empires." It's quite interesting. We'll be discussing Part I in book club next week. Please join us! davidyamane.com/welcome-to-v...

davidyamane.com

Virtual Book Club

In 2026, we began the third year of our online book club. We meet four times a year to discuss recent books about guns and gun culture. Catherine Fletcher’s recently published The Firearm Rev…

111

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Send energy to England. I sent a proposal for my Gun Culture 2.0 book to Polity Books this morning. It's a strong proposal. But I have anticipatory anxiety having been rejected 32 times when trying to place Gun Curious.

040

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

“The smell, recoil, and weight of the firearm quickly bring you to reality.” Second Sociology of Guns student field trip reflection essay. lightoverheat.substack.com/p/the-smell-...

lightoverheat.substack.com

“The smell, recoil, and weight of the firearm quickly bring you to reality”

Fall 2026 student gun range field trip reflection essay #2

010

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I say this as a subscriber: "The New York Times is Afraid of Guns." lightoverheat.substack.com/p/the-new-yo...

010

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I played this Billy Joel in my intro Soc class to illustrate Marx's observation that we make our own history but not under conditions of our own choosing.

010

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

“The more we did it, the more natural it became.” This is the first of an uncertain number of student gun range field trip reflection essays from my fall 2026 Sociology of Guns seminar. lightoverheat.substack.com/p/the-more-w...

lightoverheat.substack.com

“The more we did it, the more natural it became”

Fall 2026 student gun range field trip reflection essay #1

031

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I can't edit this post but I was corrected by Karl Rehn that his KR Training was not disproportionately represented in Harel Shapira's research. I will need to see the book to understand the range of gun schools that Shapira studied.

010

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Of course, I am shallow enough to have checked Amazon sales rankings for Basic Pistol vs. Gun Curious, and happy to report that even with his NYT essay and reviewers falling all over themselves to praise his book, mine is still ahead. With your help, it can always be so. 15% off!!! amzn.to/46JJWdp

amzn.to

Gun Curious: A Liberal Professor's Surprising Journey Inside America's Gun Culture: Yamane, David: 9781476695877: Amazon.com: Books

Gun Curious: A Liberal Professor's Surprising Journey Inside America's Gun Culture [Yamane, David] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Gun Curious: A Liberal Professor's Surprising Jo...

110

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Harel Shapira's book "Basic Pistol is coming out soon. I have mixed feelings about that. But he's placed another opinion essay in the New York Times, and it's more moderate than his previous essay from 2023. Of course, moderate is a relative term. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | When My Father Told Me He Wanted a Gun, I Knew Everything Had Changed (Gift Article)

It’s time to reframe the debate.

120

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I always enjoy speaking with @stephengutowski.bsky.social and appreciate the opportunity to speak to his Reload audience about my Sociology of Guns seminar at @wakeforest.bsky.social, Version 11! youtu.be/yRos26YEJw8?...

youtu.be

Teaching a College Course on Guns in America (Ft. Wake Forest's David Yamane)

YouTube video by The Reload

071

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

When a mass murder at a church happened while I was observing a gun training class: From Mozambique to Istanbul to Sutherland Springs. lightoverheat.substack.com/p/from-mozam...

lightoverheat.substack.com

From Mozambique to Istanbul to Sutherland Springs

Two shooting drills, one gun class, and the day training got real

010

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

I've continued to dip into my blog archive in thinking about the heroic actions of Jordan Salinas in trying to stop an active shooter. What would you do "When You Are Called on to Change History"? lightoverheat.substack.com/p/when-you-a...

lightoverheat.substack.com

“When You Are Called on to Change History”

Gabe Suarez's training and Jordan Salinas's response in Twin Falls

010

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Jordan Salinas' recent DGU in Twin Falls had me going back into my blog archive to find some posts about Gabe Suarez's Pistol Gunfighting School in 2017: Who Did It, With What, and Where? Playing “Tactical Clue” in the Civilian Gun Training Industry lightoverheat.substack.com/p/who-did-it...

lightoverheat.substack.com

Who Did It, With What, and Where? Playing “Tactical Clue” in the Civilian Gun Training Industry

What a gun class in 2017 has to do with Jordan Salinas in 2026

000

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Anyway, I've been giving my students specific rules and guidelines for AI use. I don’t tell them NO AI. I do say how they can use AI and ask them to provide “receipts” when they do. I try to practice what I preach. This is the scan for my recent Illuminations #11 monthly Substack newsletter.

010

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I've been shocked to learn how many people are using AI to compose personal (not work) correspondence and the proliferation of AI written text on social media platforms like LinkedIn. Apparently people are even using AI to write posts on their personal Instagram and Facebook pages. Who knew?

111

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I don't think of myself as a "writer," although I do write a lot as part of my job. So I have been thinking and spending a lot of time talking to my students about AI use in writing. lightoverheat.substack.com/p/ai-is-a-to...

lightoverheat.substack.com

AI Is a Tool and a Weapon

My updated class policy on use of generative artificial intelligence takes both seriously

110

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Illuminations #11 -- the Light Over Heat monthly digest for August 2026 -- just dropped. It was a busy month. I hope you find something enlightening (or at least useful) here. lightoverheat.substack.com/p/illuminati...

lightoverheat.substack.com

Illuminations #11. Seminars, Shooting, and Stringing (Tennis Rackets)

Light Over Heat August Digest

000

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Virtual book club is back for year 3, book 3. September 17, October 1, and October 15, 6:00 - 7:00 pm Eastern Time. Join us via Zoom Webinar. More info: davidyamane.com/welcome-to-v...

davidyamane.com

Virtual Book Club

In 2026, we began the third year of our online book club. We meet four times a year to discuss recent books about guns and gun culture. Catherine Fletcher’s recently published The Firearm Rev…

010

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

First classroom session for Sociology of Guns today, and we will talk about my AI policy (recall: lightoverheat.substack.com/p/ai-is-a-to...). On this slide I try to distill some of the key differences between what I’m trying to achieve in class and what AI does. What am I missing?

030

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

My book came out a couple of years now and I'm guessing there are some people out there who missed the first opportunity to get signed book plates at the release. If you'd like one, just send me your mailing address and to whom you want the book plate signed.

010

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I had students complete my "Let's Talk Guns" project. The two word clouds below compare their responses to those of others who have completed the project (mostly from within the gun community). The differences are pretty striking. Read more on my Substack. lightoverheat.substack.com/p/the-word-c...

010

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

On the first day of my Introduction to Sociology class at @wakeforest.bsky.social, I ask the students a question to make explicit our class social contract: “What do we owe each other during our time together?” Here is my digest of their responses. I think it is a good social contract. Do you?

000

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Every year since 2011 I have spent 10 days stringing rackets at the ATP World Tour Winston-Salem Open. We strung a record 705 rackets this year. Congrats to Ignacio Buse, 2026 🏆

000

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The demographics of Wake Forest students work against that, but it is great -- and all the more important -- to have students who have never touched a gun fire a gun before we begin our academic discussions. All 16 students shot .22 pistol, 9mm pistol, and .223 rifle this year -- 6th year in a row.

010

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

In case you missed my YouTube video previewing the Sociology of Guns student field trip to the range, here's the Substack version: lightoverheat.substack.com/p/the-calm-b...

lightoverheat.substack.com

The Calm Before the Range

Recorded solo before the students show up

030

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Very rarely. Most students have 0 experience, followed by "shot once." Fewer than 1 per year on average have significant shooting experience.

100

David Yamane @davidyamane.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

A reader of my Substack sent me this. I haven't read it yet, but I do have the author's 2015 book on guns. Will be interested to see if/how his views have changed since then. Posting to read later. I wonder if @noahschwartzy.bsky.social has thoughts? macleans.ca/society/cana...

macleans.ca

Canadians Are Buying More Guns - Macleans.ca

Like it or not, many people feel safer with a firearm at home

020