Gun violence in the United States often spurs long-running conflicts, but little is known about how individuals involved in these conflicts cope with the lingering threat of being shot. Drawing on an in-depth ethnographic case study of one young man's long-running gun conflict in New Orleans, as well as on interviews and fieldwork with other young men in his social network who dealt with similar conflicts, this study examines how individuals contend with direct, ongoing threats of violence targeted specifically at them. It finds that these threats can severely disrupt people's lives. When targeted individuals anticipate that their opponents will seek them out through known associations and whereabouts, people and places that were previously sources of security become newly imbued with apparent danger. Such insidious threats force targeted individuals to cut off formerly vital relationships and routines. These isolationist strategies help keep targeted individuals safe, but in the process they snuff out opportunity, stifle otherwise healthy relationships, and give rise to protracted stalemates. The findings show how the lived experience of a long-running gun conflict can be characterized primarily by caution and defensiveness, not by going on the attack. They also reveal previously hidden social consequences of these defensive strategies.

中文翻译：

---

“如果它不杀了你，它就会夺走你的生命”：长期枪支冲突中的生存策略和孤立

美国的枪支暴力经常引发长期冲突，但人们对卷入这些冲突的个人如何应对挥之不去的枪击威胁知之甚少。借鉴对新奥尔良一名年轻人长期枪支冲突的深入民族志案例研究，以及对其社交网络中处理过类似冲突的其他年轻人的访谈和实地考察，本研究考察了个人如何与专门针对他们的直接、持续的暴力威胁。它发现这些威胁会严重扰乱人们的生活。当目标个人预计他们的对手会通过已知的联系和行踪找到他们时，以前安全来源的人和地方就会新地充满明显的危险。这种阴险的威胁迫使目标个人切断以前重要的关系和惯例。这些孤立主义策略有助于确保目标个人的安全，但在这个过程中，他们扼杀了机会，扼杀了原本健康的关系，并导致了长期的僵局。研究结果表明，长期枪支冲突的真实经历如何主要表现为谨慎和防御，而不是继续攻击。它们还揭示了这些防御策略以前隐藏的社会后果。研究结果表明，长期枪支冲突的真实经历如何主要表现为谨慎和防御，而不是继续攻击。它们还揭示了这些防御策略以前隐藏的社会后果。研究结果表明，长期枪支冲突的真实经历如何主要表现为谨慎和防御，而不是继续攻击。它们还揭示了这些防御策略以前隐藏的社会后果。