Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes [Hardcover]

Kyle Cassidy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2007

As the 2004 Presidential Election was beginning to take shape, Kyle Cassidy took note of the important role the simple concept of gun ownership was playing. Hardly anyone he knew didn't have an opinion in the debate over owning guns. Why was a constitutionally protected right so heavily debated, and who exactly are these folks that own guns? "I began to wonder who these seventy or so million Americans were, how they lived and what was important to them. I set out to photograph as many gun owners as I could and ask them one question: "Why do you own a gun."" Cassidy traveled some 20,000 miles, crisscrossing the country to meet with gun owners in their homes. Cassidy's photo essays create a powerful, thought provoking and sometimes startling view of gun ownership in the U.S. These "everyman" portraits, and the accompanying views of gun owners, fashion a riveting and provocative hardcover book. "I made two decisions early on," Cassidy says in his Introduction to the book. "First that I would photograph anyone who was willing, owned a gun, and whom I could physically get to. Secondly, I decided I wouldn't treat these subjects any differently than I would if I were photographing "Lottery Winners" or "Cancer Survivors" - I didn't want to rely on the crutch of controversy to prop my images up. I wanted a good portrait first." "As far as I could tell, there were no politically neutral books about gun owners - they all seemed to be propaganda, one way or the other. My job wasn't to make gun owners look good, or to spin something one way or another it was to take a series of interesting portraits".

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...Each picture in Armed America could be a pro-gun advertisement - or an anti-gun poster. That's what makes the book so riveting." -- The Washington Post, July 29, 2007

"Cassidy's genius... vividly captures the subjects' personalities as well as their widely differing views on gun ownership." -- Guns & Ammo, October 2007

"...stunning photos... You can't finish this book and still make blanket judgments about gun owners." -- The Library Journal, September 1, 2007

"What we have here folks, between two covers, is that greatest of rarities, a fair picture of who owns guns." -- Field & Stream, David Petzel, 2007

About the Author

Kyle Cassidy is a photographer and author whose photos have appeared in the ?New York Times? and the ?Philadelphia Inquirer,? among others. Primarily known for his fashion and portrait photography, he became interested in photographing gun owners during the 2004 Presidential election

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Krause Publications (June 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896895432
• ISBN-13: 978-0896895430
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #306,661 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Current Events > Gun Control

More About the Author

Kyle Cassidy has been documenting American culture for more than two
decades. He has photographed Goths, Punks, Cutters, Politicians,
Metalheads, Dominatrices, Scholars, and Alternative Fashion, in addition
to less prosaic subjects. In recent years his projects have extended
abroad to Romania, where he captured the lives of homeless orphans
living in sewers; and to Egypt, where he reported on contemporary
archaeological excavations. His publications include several books on
information technology, as well as a regular appearance as contributing
editor for Videomaker magazine. His Photo-A-Week blog
(www.kylecassidy.com ) was one of the first photo blogs on the internet.
His work has appeared in the New York Times, Barron's Financial,
Photographers Forum, Asleep by Dawn, Gothic Beauty and numerous other
publications.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book surprised me, July 11, 2007

By 

Spleen (washington, dc) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes (Hardcover)

I am embarrassed that I started out with such a small-minded view of gun ownership. I thought I was against guns and seeing pictures of them was viscerally disturbing them to me. However, reading what people actually had to say about their gun ownership did make me open my mind on the issue.

I appreciate that the book portrays first and foremost the people and does not slant or objectify them (there is no political agenda) which leaves me able to digest the contents for myself. The author's intro paragraph is very succinct and imaginitive; he is not only a gifted photographer but a unique writer as well. The photos are also really interesting because there's usually something going on in the background - you can see pets in motion captured at a moment in time or interesting expressions on the people's faces.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Independence Day, July 7, 2007

By 

William D. Nelsch "Bill in Denver" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes (Hardcover)

Kyle,

I received your book on, of all days, Independence Day (it was delivered yesterday to my office and I didn't see it until today). My first impressions are - WOW. It reached me on so many different levels: the 'familial' based on one of our LUG family creating a masterpiece; the photographic, based on the technique in achieving the images - bounce flash, rear fill flash, and the inadvertent (?) self portrait on page 127; the contextual notion that the Second Amendment (I am a left wing Democrat, christian more of an Episcobuddhist, anti-war, anti-violence, etc. ) must be always enforced, and in light of the recent idiocy in the WH seems ever more important; and finally the sub-context of all of the animals is just delightful.

This is so much different, and better, than what I had expected after reviewing the online images. Seeing the images in print form allows for so much more detail; the messiness/neatness of the subject environs; the additional items, or lack thereof, in their living areas adds so much more to the meaning of each photo. I can't help but wonder how much of the shoot was staged vs. their actual environment. And the captures of the animals are priceless. This was no easy task.

I was also struck by the verbosity or lack thereof of the subjects when commenting on their gun ownership and what stuck me most was the argument that the Second Amendment, like all of the Amendments, must be upheld against the moneyed interest purchasing politicians attempting to take away ANY freedoms. This is akin to the NRA, ACLU and Sierra club all agreeing on the same thing.

I don't like guns. I was going to say I don't have any guns but that isn't exactly true - I have an old flintlock from the Spanish American war that belonged to a relative of mine standing in the corner of my living room. Why? It just looks neat. This book doesn't necessarily change my need to have or not have guns but it does cause me to rethink any notion of banning guns.

Well, done, Kyle, well done.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reconsidering my preconceptions..., June 21, 2007

By 

Jennifer A. Summerfield (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes (Hardcover)

Every time I open "Armed America," I am struck by a different image... another face or interior that begs attention and complete focus... which, I think, is a testament to how powerful the photography itself is. As someone who has always regarded guns with apprehension and never considered firing one, let alone owning one, "Armed America" has forced me to reconsider my stance. There is such a broad cross-section of the American population represented that each page seems to bring a different revelation. The fact that the subjects are allowed to speak for themselves, their words printed below their image, allows you to draw your own conclusions, without the photographer's own views, (which remain a mystery,) getting in the way.

It's a fascinating document of American culture... both past and present... and in turning each page, you feel you're on a journey with the photographer, rediscovering this vast, complex country.