  The increasing frequency of mass shootings in the United States has,
unfortunately, become a norm. While the issue of gun control in the US involves
complex legal concerns, there are also societal issues at play. One such social
issue is so-called "gun culture," i.e., a general set of beliefs and actions
related to gun ownership. However relatively little is known about gun culture,
and even less is known when it comes to fringe online communities. This is
especially worrying considering the aforementioned rise in mass shootings and
numerous instances of shooters being radicalized online.
  To address this gap, we explore gun culture on /k/, 4chan's weapons board.
More specifically, using a variety of quantitative techniques, we examine over
4M posts on /k/ and position their discussion within the larger body of
theoretical understanding of gun culture. Among other things, our findings
suggest that gun culture on /k/ covers a relatively diverse set of topics (with
a particular focus on legal discussion), some of which are signals of
fetishism.
