The prospects for gun policy change following mass shootings

The mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas in May 2022 prompted Congress to enact the first significant federal gun legislation since the 1990s. While many commentators have framed this policy change as a remarkable break from the long-standing pattern of inaction on gun violence, I argue that political actors perceived and responded to the problem in familiar ways. Drawing on agenda setting and information processing theories, I highlight factors that suggest no fundamental alteration in how the U.S. political system responds to gun injury and death. I also point to changes in public opinion and in the interest group landscape that have the potential (in the long term) to transform the politics of gun policy. Finally, I conclude with some near-term expectations for policy making and its effects on the issue.