Dr. Toni Jensen On Indigenous Survival under US Gun Culture
From Guns Unpacked by Jennifer Carlson
March 2, 2026 · 46 min · Season 2 · Episode 9
About this episode
Dr. Toni Jensen discusses her experiences and insights on Indigenous identity and gun culture in America.
On this week’s episode of Guns Unpacked, we are joined by Toni Jensen, who teaches in the MFA program at the University of Arkansas, Institute for American Indian Arts. Her memoir, Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land, was named a Dayton Literary Peace Prize Finalist and New York Times Editors' Choice book. In our conversation, Dr. Jensen details how her identity as a métis woman and firsthand experiences with violence have shaped how she perceives gun identity in America. Dr. Jensen explores the shift in gun identity from hunting to self-defense during the Reagan years and discusses how modern sensationalism associated with mass shootings leads people to overlook the role “we” play in gun violence. Dr. Jensen’s most recent book can be found here . More information on Dr. Jensen can be found here.
People in this episode
Host: Jennifer Carlson
Guest: Toni Jensen
Topics covered
- Indigenous survival
- gun culture
- identity
- violence
- self-defense
- mass shootings
Keywords
- Indigenous
- gun culture
- violence
- self-defense
- métis
- mass shootings
- memoir
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Arkansas, Institute for American Indian Arts
Books & works: Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land
Places: America
More episodes of Guns Unpacked
- Alexander Sammartino On Masculinity, Marketing, and Arizona Gun Culture · June 2, 2026 · 49 min
- Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson On the Politics of Force in Black Resistance · May 6, 2026 · 48 min
- Dr. Nora Gross On Black Boys and the Hidden Toll of Gun Violence · April 6, 2026 · 43 min
- Dr. Payne, Dr. Hitchens, and Darryl Chambers On Gun Violence in Wilmington, Delaware and Participatory Gun Violence Research · January 5, 2026 · 1h 24m
- Special Episode: Guns Unpacked...Unwrapped! · December 23, 2025 · 59 min
- Dr. Cedric Dark On US Gun Violence from the Perspective of an Emergency Room Doctor · December 1, 2025 · 42 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Guns Unpacked podcast page.