Over a period of three years, award-winning British photographer Zed Nelson documented America's gun culture. In Gun Nation he avoids the stereotypical groups that are often conveniently portrayed as the reason behind the "problem." There are, significantly, no images of gang-members posturing with their weapons, and no fringe-element extremists in camouflage fatigues. Instead, Nelson focused on so-called 'ordinary' law-abiding citizens, at gun shops and NRA conventions, in living rooms, emergency rooms and schoolyards. "I wanted to show how guns pervade all areas of society," says Nelson.

These compelling images explore the paradox of why America's most potent symbol of freedom is also one of its greatest killers - resulting in an annual death toll of over 30,000 American citizens.

Zed Nelson does not shy away from conflict, controversy or crisis. Gun Nation is one of his most important projects to date, and has been published in major magazines the world over, was screened on British television, and has won four prestigious photojournalism awards. It is regarded by many as the definitive body of work on the subject, and has recently been published as a book.

After a decade working as a photojournalist in some of the harshest and most lawless areas of the world, Zed Nelson has had more than the occasional opportunity to witness the devastating effectiveness of man's favorite deadly weapon of choice -the gun. An abstraction to most, the terrifying reality of what guns can do became all too real for Nelson when, whilst documenting the war in Afghanistan in 1994, the car he was travelling in came under heavy machine-gun fire. Nelson's colleague and interpreter were both shot, and suffered horrendous injuries. This brutal reality check brought home the unglamorous reality of firearms, and planted the seeds of the idea that was later to become Gun Nation. "That incident ended my boyhood Hollywood-inspired love affair with weapons," says Nelson. "I wanted to work on a story that stripped guns of their glamour, to show what they can do to the human body, and to reveal their real impact on society."

Zed Nelson began his study of American gun culture in the wake of a shocking and unusual British gun massacre in Dunblane, Scotland, where 16 children and their teacher were shot to death. The incident prompted a fierce backlash against guns in the UK, and calls for a ban on privately owned firearms. While gun-control measures were being debated in Britain, Nelson turned his focus on the United States, a nation where a centuries-old gun culture was clashing with the realities of modern life.

Awards presented for Gun Nation:
World Press Photo 1998. 1st prize. (World Press Foundation, Amsterdam).
International Festival of Photojournalism. March 1998. (Perpignan, France).
Visa d'Or for Best Magazine Story of the Year. September 1998.
Alfred Eisenstaedt Award 1999. (USA. LIFE Magazine/Columbia University). First prize. (Best Photo Essay). 24 January 1999.
Nikon Press Awards (UK). First Prize (Best photo-essay). 10 March 1999.