Mass Shootings and Public Support for Gun Control

Newman, Ben J; Hartman, Todd K.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.2900212

Cited by 17 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…(Janis, 1967, p. 219) When it comes to reactions to other events besides terrorism, the role of personal proximity is emphasized in many strands of research. For example, closeness to gun violence increases support for gun control (Newman & Hartman, 2019) and crime victims all over the world tend to be more politically engaged (Bateson, 2012). The general importance of personal experiences is also highlighted in studies on economic voting (Healy et al, 2017), antiwar attitudes (Erikson & Stoker, 2011), among others.…”

Section: Vivid Experiencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personal Proximity and Reactions to Terrorism

Agerberg

Sohlberg

2021

Comparative Political Studies

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In a panel study where one survey was conducted immediately after a terrorist attack in central Stockholm, with over 20,000 participants, we examine the possibility that first-hand experiences with terror increases effects compared to people located elsewhere in Sweden. We use matching and as-if random variation in our data to identify the effect of personal proximity. While we find that people close to the attack perceived themselves as more affected, attesting to the vividness of the experience, we find no evidence of stronger rally effects, greater outgroup dislike, preferences for security policies or emotional effects. The results challenge previous theories on public opinion change in the aftermath of vivid events. In line with prior research, however, the results indicate that public opinion among people across Sweden did change on a range of issues. These general effects occurred uniformly, regardless of geographic location in the country.

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Section: Vivid Experiencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personal Proximity and Reactions to Terrorism

Agerberg

Sohlberg

2021

Comparative Political Studies

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“…More recently, Schildkraut, Elsass, and Stafford (2015) considered perceptions related to school shootings as a phenomenon more broadly using a quantitative approach to test Goode and Ben‐Yehuda’s (1994a, 1994b) attributional theory. The present study extends this line of inquiry by specifically considering how such perceptions may vary based on location (see also Newman and Hartman 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

“…Still, despite such advances, additional opportunities to expand this research exist. Newman and Hartman (2019), for example, have called for spatial examinations of the impact of mass and school shootings on public attitudes. To date, however, virtually no research has considered the relationship between location and perceptions about these events, either broadly or within the context of moral panic theory.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moral Panic, Fear of Crime, and School Shootings: Does Location Matter?

Elsass¹,

Schildkraut

Haenfler

et al. 2021

Sociological Inquiry

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The concept of moral panic has been used to describe how society reacts to different threats, either real or perceived. Although most studies in this area rely on qualitative, historical data, recent efforts have employed quantitative applications of an attributional model to understand attitudes consistent with different characteristics of moral panic. The present study utilizes this model along with survey data from college students across the five U.S. regions to examine how perceptions of school shootings as a moral panic vary by location. The findings reveal significant differences by location, with students in the Southwest and West less likely than other regions to express hostile attitudes about the shootings or believe they are happening at disproportional rates. Southwestern students also were most likely to express concern related to defense (gun rights), whereas individuals in the Northeast were least likely to. Broader considerations for these and other findings also are discussed.

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“…The Fredericton shooting shook New Brunswick, particularly since the province had also experienced the murder of three Mounties in Moncton in 2014 by a man armed with a semi-automatic rifle. Such mass shootings tend to increase support for gun control, at least among people already predisposed to support stronger gun laws (NEWMAN and HARTMAN 2019;BARNEY and SCHAFFNER 2019;FLEMING 2012).…”

Section: The 2015 Liberal Election Platformmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ghost of the Long-Gun Registry: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gun Control in Canada, 2015-2019

Brown¹

2020

eccs

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Mass Shootings and Public Support for Gun Control

Cited by 17 publications

References 54 publications

Personal Proximity and Reactions to Terrorism

Personal Proximity and Reactions to Terrorism

Moral Panic, Fear of Crime, and School Shootings: Does Location Matter?

The Ghost of the Long-Gun Registry: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gun Control in Canada, 2015-2019

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