Jennifer Carlson

Gun Culture & Public Policy Sociologist; MacArthur Fellow; Author of "Citizen-Protectors" & "Policing the Second Amendment"; Professor at Arizona State University

Tempe, AZ, USA
Live Event: $20,000 - $30,000 Virtual Event: $10,000 - $20,000 More Fee Info
Anti-Racism, Author, College, DEI, Female Leadership, Government, Influential Women, Podcast Host, Political Science, Professors, Social Activism, Social Sciences, Women
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Jennifer Carlson Biography

Jennifer Carlson is a sociologist specializing in gun culture, politics, and public policy in the United States. Carlson earned a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College and a doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley. She began her academic career as an assistant professor at the University of Toronto before joining Arizona State University as a professor of sociology, where she founded the BRIDGS Initiative: Bringing Research & Innovation into the Debate on Guns in Society. Through research with gun owners, gun sellers, law enforcement, gun violence survivors, and state licensing bodies, Carlson examines the factors shaping gun culture in the United States.

Carlson is the author of "Citizen-Protectors: The Everyday Politics of Guns in an Age of Decline," which explores motivations for firearm ownership and carrying. Her book "Policing the Second Amendment: Guns, Law Enforcement and the Politics of Race" analyzes the relationship between policing, gun carrying, and race, and received the Sociology of Law Distinguished Book Award. In "Merchants of the Right: Gun Sellers and the Crisis of American Democracy," Carlson investigates how gun culture intersects with national political dilemmas, drawing on interviews with gun sellers. She is also co-editor of "Gun Studies: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Politics, Policy and Practice." Her research articles have appeared in academic journals including American Journal of Sociology, Social Problems, and Gender and Society.

Carlson received a MacArthur Fellowship for her work on gun politics, culture, and trauma in the United States. She was elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Carlson is principal investigator on a National Science Foundation grant focused on the experiences of gun violence survivors in Florida and California. She launched the "Guns Unpacked" podcast and has contributed to news outlets such as PBS, New York Times, NPR, USA Today, and Los Angeles Times. Carlson was featured in the PBS documentary on gun violence titled "Ricochet: An American Trauma." Her research provides evidence-based insights into the complexities of gun policy and culture in the United States.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 10/13/2026.

Jennifer Carlson Speaking Topics

  • Moving Through our Gun Dilemmas

    Can we have a better gun debate? Political divisiveness is at an all-time high–and nowhere is this more apparent than in the debate about guns in society. Drawing on rich accounts of how guns impact Americans, this talk suggests that we don’t have a gun debate–but a gun dilemma, characterized by the abundant presence of guns alongside an intolerable level of gun violence. It offers two guiding aphorisms to rethink the gun debate: first, we don’t have a gun violence problem, we have a gun trauma problem and second, guns solve problems for the people who turn to them. In doing so, this talk opens up a third space to journey through the gun debate with compassion and vulnerability rather than dehumanizing discord. Attendee results:

    • Understand gun trauma as a dominant thread within American society that impacts individuals, families and communities
    • Understand motivations for gun ownership that move beyond the partisan narratives of gun rights with real-world examples
    • Bring compassion and vulnerability into the conversation about guns
    • Learn effective, outside-the-box strategies for addressing gun harm

  • Democracy & Gun Politics

    In 2020 and 2021, gun sellers found themselves at the center of a historic surge in gun purchasing. Roughly 20% of American households purchased a gun–and up to more than 8 million people became first-time gun owners. These new gun owners differed from existing gun owners in a number of ways: they were younger, more likely to be women, more likely to be racialized minorities and members of the LGBTQ community, and they were also more likely to be liberal. This massive surge in gun purchasing gave longstanding gun rights advocates, themselves disproportionately conservative, a choice: to double down on gun politics as conservative terrain or to move toward a new, perhaps post-partisan future. This talk takes us to the frontlines of this surge and examines how gun sellers themselves largely chose the former–doubling down on gun rights as conservative politics. Using in-depth interviews with gun sellers as a window into contemporary American politics, this talk maps out how gun politics impacts the democratic challenges currently facing the US–and how we must transform our culture of democracy as a result.

    Attendee results:

    • Learn the factors driving gun ownership in the US
    • Understand how conservative politics, the politics of democracy, and gun rights intersect
    • Appreciate the role of culture–alongside institutions–in shaping the health of American democracy
    • Acquire tools for reimagining and re-engaging democracy

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Jennifer Carlson Videos

Beyond Partisanship, Toward a Better Gun Debate | Jennifer Carlson

Beyond Partisanship, Toward a Better Gun Debate | Jennifer Carlson

MacArthur Fellow Jennifer Carlson talks about partisanship and the need to see beyond the either-or debate surrounding guns in U.S. politics ...

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Gun studies: interdisciplinary approaches to politics, policy, and practice
Gun studies: interdisciplinary approaches to politics, policy, and practice
Merchants of the Right: Gun Sellers and the Crisis of American Democracy
Merchants of the Right: Gun Sellers and the Crisis of American Democracy
Policing the Second Amendment: Guns, Law Enforcement, and the Politics of Race
Policing the Second Amendment: Guns, Law Enforcement, and the Politics of Race
Citizen-Protectors: The Everyday Politics of Guns in an Age of Decline
Citizen-Protectors: The Everyday Politics of Guns in an Age of Decline

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  • What are the speaker fees for Jennifer Carlson

    Speaking fees for Jennifer Carlson, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Jennifer Carlson are $20,000 - $30,000 for live events and $10,000 - $20,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Jennifer Carlson, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

  • What topics does Jennifer Carlson speak about?

    Jennifer Carlson is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Anti-Racism, Author, College, DEI, Female Leadership, Government, Influential Women, Podcast Host, Political Science, Professors, Social Activism, Social Sciences, Women

  • Where does Jennifer Carlson travel from?

    Jennifer Carlson generally travels from Tempe, AZ, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.

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Jennifer Carlson is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Moving Through our Gun Dilemmas, Democracy & Gun Politics and Race, Guns Rights & Gun Violence . The estimated speaking fee range to book Jennifer Carlson for your event is $20,000 - $30,000. Jennifer Carlson generally travels from Tempe, AZ, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Dr. Kelly Weinersmith, Loredana Padurean, Mary Anne Franks and Tania Israel. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Jennifer Carlson for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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