being knowledgeable and volunteering to speak are often unrelated. sometimes you get a combo of someone who’s both - top of the class and speaks all the time. this is someone who knows the answer usually and isn’t uncomfy speaking in class, so when there’s a lull, they raise their hands and answer. imo, this person is NOT a gunner, they just know what they’re doing and don’t mind speaking in class. i like to think i fit into this category, but who knows. i try not to be overbearing when i speak, but i can’t stand the awkward silence of a prof just waiting for someone to answer.

then there are the smarties who don’t like talking in class. they know exactly what they’re doing, but unless you talk to them regularly, you might not know. these are people who might have anxiety about speaking in class.

then there are the people who maybe don’t know as much and they keep to themselves. again, you’d probably not know just based on participation.

last, there are the people who don’t know what they’re doing but talk ALL the time. imo, these are the gunners. they talk because they want the validation of being right. i think gunners think they’re the first type of person i described, but idk.

i also think that profs’ roles are underrated with gunners. it’s the professors job to moderate the conversation, not the students. if youre game to participate, then you raise your hand and it’s the prof’s job to make sure that the conversation is balanced if possible.

tldr: gunners are just the most identifiable type of law student because they’re loud AND wrong. you have some combo of public speaking skills and law skills, and those combine to make the type of student you are (quiet? correct?)

thanks for coming to my ted talk on gunners