Gun Policy: Politics and Pathways of Action

Public opinion polls indicate that a majority of Americans favor stricter gun laws, yet these expressed preferences are not reflected in gun control policy. The power of the gun lobby and cultural beliefs about guns to block the effectuation of majority support for increased regulation rest on the operation of the political system and its policy-making processes. The advancement of violence reduction policies may depend on reform of elements in the political system, such as campaign finance laws and gerrymandering, that undergird the gun lobby's power. Reforms in the political system can also affect the selection of those who control policy-making power in the executive and judicial branches. In addition, there are alternative pathways for policy action, such as ballot initiatives, local ordinances, and civil litigation. These alternative pathways each include significant obstacles that hinder the potential for effective action on gun policy reform. Yet, the winds of change may be stirring as gun control advocacy groups have increased their organizational and financial strength since the school shootings in 2012 at Newtown, Connecticut, and in 2018 at Parkland, Florida, and nonschool mass shootings in Texas and Ohio in 2019.