Disarmed : the missing movement for gun control in America / Kristin A. Goss.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Goss, Kristin A., author.

Series:

Princeton Studies in American Politics: Historical, International, and Comparative Perspectives

Princeton Studies in American Politics: Historical, International, and Comparative Perspectives ; 120

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Firearms and crime.

Gun control.

Violent crimes.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (304 p.)

Edition:

Course Book

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2010]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

More than any other advanced industrial democracy, the United States is besieged by firearms violence. Each year, some 30,000 people die by gunfire. Over the course of its history, the nation has witnessed the murders of beloved public figures; massacres in workplaces and schools; and epidemics of gun violence that terrorize neighborhoods and claim tens of thousands of lives. Commanding majorities of Americans voice support for stricter controls on firearms. Yet they have never mounted a true national movement for gun control. Why? Disarmed unravels this paradox. Based on historical archives, interviews, and original survey evidence, Kristin Goss suggests that the gun control campaign has been stymied by a combination of factors, including the inability to secure patronage resources, the difficulties in articulating a message that would resonate with supporters, and strategic decisions made in the name of effective policy. The power of the so-called gun lobby has played an important role in hobbling the gun-control campaign, but that is not the entire story. Instead of pursuing a strategy of incremental change on the local and state levels, gun control advocates have sought national policies. Some 40% of state gun control laws predate the 1970's, and the gun lobby has systematically weakened even these longstanding restrictions. A compelling and engagingly written look at one of America's most divisive political issues, Disarmed illuminates the organizational, historical, and policy-related factors that constrain mass mobilization, and brings into sharp relief the agonizing dilemmas faced by advocates of gun control and other issues in the United States.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

List of Figures

List of Tables

Acknowledgments

CHAPTER ONE. The Gun Control (Participation) Paradox

CHAPTER TWO. A Movement in Theory

CHAPTER THREE. Socializing Costs: Patronage and Political Participation

CHAPTER FOUR. Personalizing Benefits: Issue Frames and Political Participation

CHAPTER FIVE. Changing the Calculation: Policy Incrementalism and Political Participation

CHAPTER SIX. Mobilizing around Modest Measures: Three Cases

CHAPTER SEVEN. Conclusion: Politics, Participation, and Public Goods

Appendix A: Gun-Related Trends

Appendix B: Brief Case Studies of Other Social-Reform Movements

Appendix C: Survey of Million Mom March Participants

Notes

References

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 08. Jul 2019)

ISBN:

9786612964879

9781282964877

1282964879

9781400837755

1400837758

OCLC:

707067728