Big Guns or Big Talk? How the National Rifle Association Matters for Conceal Carry Weapons Laws

• NCJ Number: 253413
• Journal: Mobilization Volume: 23 Issue: 1 Dated: 2018 Pages: 101-125
• Date Published: 2018
• Author(s): Trent Steidley
• Length: 25 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2014-R2-CX-0004
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

Since the power of the National Rifle Association (NRA) to influence policy is often assumed but seldom tested, the current study drew on social movement and political-sociological theories of policy change to assess NRA influence on state-level firearm policy outcomes, using the case of concealed carry weapons (CCW) laws.

Abstract

Social movement organizations (SMOs) often aim to influence society through policy change; however, policy change may be the result of public opinion, political opportunities, or other factors, thus creating a spurious relationship between SMO activity and policy outcomes. Using event-history analyses, the current study found that the NRA does influence CCW laws, but its effect is mediated by public opinion, political ideologies, competitive elections, and political opportunities. Issue-specific public opinion and political ideologies also interact with one another to influence CCW laws. These findings build upon a growing literature that illustrates how SMOs interact with political contexts to generate policy change. (publisher abstract modified)