Malcolm Gladwell on What We Get Wrong About Guns

In his new book, The American Way of Killing, Malcolm Gladwell asks: Why does the United States have so many more gun homicides than its peers? It's a simple question. The answers are anything but. “Americans,” he writes, “don’t see their problem clearly. They think they have a problem with crime. They don’t. They have a problem with violence. They think they are overpoliced. They aren’t. They are underpoliced. … They think their Constitution enshrines a basic right to own guns. It doesn’t. The founding fathers were just trying to cut a deal with slave owners.” Today: Malcolm on what it would take to see the problem clearly — and to fix it. __________ 📖 Get yourself a copy of The American Way of Killing in hardcover or audiobook. 💿 This is Malcolm’s eighth appearance on the show! You can check out our past conversations with him here. 📚 Join the Next Big Idea Club today and we'll send you copies of new books by Adam Grant and Danny Meyer, along with invitations to join both authors on a private Zoom call later this month. Learn more at nextbigideaclub.com, and use code PODCAST to save 20% on your membership. 🎥 The Next Big Idea is on YouTube! You can find our episodes here. 📱 Follow Rufus on LinkedIn, subscribe to our Substack, or send us an email at [email protected]. 🤝 Support us by supporting our sponsors: Granola — If meetings are eating up your day, Granola is a no-brainer. You can try it totally free for three months. Just head to granola.ai/idea Hostinger — Describe the website you want and Hostinger’s AI agent builds it in minutes, with plans starting at $3/month. Go to hostinger.com/nbi and use code NBI for 10% off Life at the Speed of Play — Purchase one copy at getmarksbook.com/next and author Mark Pincus will send you two Northwest Registered Agent — Helping small business owners and entrepreneurs launch and grow businesses for nearly 30 years. Learn more at northwestregisteredagent.com/nbifree Sequencing — Go to sequencing.com and use promo code IDEA for 10% off Talkiatry — A 100% online psychiatry practice that's in-network with major insurers. Complete a short assessment and get matched with a psychiatrist in minutes at talkiatry.com/idea