John Casellas Connors

While at CASBS, John Casellas Connors will work on a book, The Nature of Guns, that examines the entanglements of firearms and conservation, tracing how environmental policies have shaped and been shaped by the firearms industry. The book examines the shifting role of environmental agencies in building infrastructures and managing ecological processes intended to support gun use and gun sales. Focusing on the political economy of guns and conservation, this project moves beyond common debates over gun rights and ownership to instead theorize the central role of environmental institutions in establishing spaces and material conditions for gun use. This analysis thus offers insights into the proliferation of guns and the influence of firearms groups in American politics.

Casellas Connors is an associate professor in the department of geography at Texas A&M University, where he is also the assistant director of the environmental programs. His research addresses the political economy of conservation, the politics of wildlife management and hunting, and human-animal relationships in cities. Casellas Connors has served as co-PI on four NSF-funded research projects, including two projects examining how suburban communities respond to and make decisions about management of growing deer populations. He has written about guns and conservation for The Conversation, and his research has been featured in various news outlets, including Vox and The New Yorker.