Tony Grist
There is no one in the gun space I respect more than Michael Sodini, founder and CEO of Walk the Talk America.*
For those who don’t know, Walk the Talk America (WTTA) is a gun-friendly non-profit bridging the gap between mental health and responsible firearm ownership. While I have your attention, please join me in making a tax-deductible donation to support WTTA’s vital work.
I told some of Mike’s fascinating life story in chapter 7 of Gun Curious on “Guns as Risk Factors for Negative Outcomes.” I especially highlighted the fact that, like me, he has one foot inside and one foot outside American gun culture. As I have been saying in recent posts, he is in a liminal position.
To quote my book:
Positioning Walk the Talk America at “the intersection of guns and mental health,” as their slogan proclaims, takes advantage of Sodini’s ability to act as an ambassador, mediator, translator, guide, and conduit between these two worlds.
I conclude that section of the book noting that Michael Sodini exemplifies “the kind of thinking we could use more of in today’s polarized and polarizing debates over guns in America” (p. 128).
I was fortunate to spend some time with Mike on the back end of my trip to Las Vegas for the Liberal Gun Club National Meeting. While we were sharing a hearty breakfast at an off-strip Denny’s, Mike asked if I had some free time. Because I was flying a red-eye flight back to North Carolina to save money, I did indeed have the entire day free. He asked if I wanted to go to a golf tournament. I said, sure, would be fun. Little did I know it was a PGA Tour event, the Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin!
(Side note: According to cultural theorist John Fiske, beaches are special places because they are “liminal” in the sense of being an anomalous category between land and sea. I’ve always thought of golf courses as special in the same way: they are out-of-doors but are not nature per se. They are anomalous or liminal.)
That was the start of a terrific several hours hanging out with Mike, meeting his mother Denise (who also appears in Gun Curious), and enjoying the upgraded CLUB360 tickets his step-father Dave bought.
Of course, we spent some of our time together talking shop. Without violating any confidence, it’s clear that Mike often has to negotiate the liminal space between those most invested in gun violence prevention and those most invested in the gun industry from which he came.
Much like me on the topic of guns with my fellow liberals, the “friendly fire” that Mike too often takes from the gun industry/culture on the issue of mental health is unfortunate. All the more props to him for standing his ground and doing the work that needs to be done while so many others are content to sit on their computers and cast virtual stones.
Michael Sodini didn’t just found an organization called “Walk the Talk America.” He walks the talk himself on a daily basis. For that, he has my utmost respect.
*There are a few others I respect as much – you know who you are!
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