Citation

Lee H, Pickett JT, Burton AL, Cullen FT, Jonson CL, Burton JVS. Justice Q. 2022; 39(3): 497-524.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/07418825.2020.1769710

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

From Columbine to Sandy Hook to Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the American public has repeatedly witnessed the carnage and tragic consequences of mass school shootings. Using a national survey of American adults (N = 1,100) conducted between May 30 and June 6, 2018 in the aftermath of the Parkland tragedy, this project explores public opinion on why these events occur. Informed by sociological scholarship on social movements and framing, the analysis shows that the public endorses both gun and non-gun attributional frames for school shootings. What appears to most strongly influence the resonance of both types of attributional frames, by affecting their narrative fidelity, is racial resentment, seeing the world as dangerous, and ideological beliefs. The attributional frames that respondents endorse, in turn, serve as "anchors" for their social action beliefs--or vocabularies of motive--with gun attributions increasing both confidence in and support for the #NeverAgain movement.

Language: en

Keywords

Attributions; framing; gun control; school shootings; social movements