Researchers interviewed a selection of Mexican-American youths who had been detained for weapons' possession or use. They were contrasted with orthodox Jewish boys in a parochial high school on the west side of Los Angeles. Pride in "gangbanging" and elation after a shooting were characteristics of the incarcerated youth. This study shows that a "gangbanger," beyond mere gang membership, is actively involved in shooting at rival cadres of gangbangers, usually in a vehicular "drive-by." Possession of a firearm energizes the libido, quells anxiety, and reduces residual impotence. Guns serve to equalize status differentiation and sexual performance. The gangbanger shoots to kill, or at least to maim, members of contested gangs. He suffers little or no guilt after the episode, lacking the internalization of core, societal norms. Moreover, the shooter will have secured his in-group prestige. Adolescents in the barrios experience social, political, and economic disenfranchisement. They constitute an underclass that is excluded from power in the arenas that matter: employment, education, and political representation. These youths act to build self-esteem by a dramatic, easily accessible route. The Jewish boys, on the other hand, pursue both religious and secular curricula. Their studies reduce occasions for conflict. Although gun control is a social good, the problem of gun violence lies in the motivation of the shooter and in differential cultural and sociopolitical forces. 7 references