Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Mark Gordon

Abstract

AbstractPublic and political opinion regarding gun regulation in the United States are sharply split across the political divide. The purpose of this research was to determine the common ground among the Republican Party supporters concerning gun control legislations in the United States. The frame for the study poised into determining in what ways does an affiliation to the Republican Party influence a supporters’ views on state and federal gun laws and if members of the Republican Party believe that a common ground may exist with Democrats for passable gun control legislation. Partisan motivated reasoning theory was used to frame the study. Out of 50 applicants, ten were selected to participate in the semi-structured interviews. Five were chosen for the online focus group that were conducted with party members. The sample was composed of political professionals including lobbyists, special interest groups, and political action committees were used to understand how political rhetoric influences Republican Party members’ opinions regarding gun control. NVivo 12 software was used to organize the data for analysis of common themes. Themes included: harmonization of state laws into a single federal law, promoting policies on background and mental health checks before issuing guns to buyers, and intensifying public education on safe gun use and storage. Affiliates of the Republican Party identified common ground areas such as background and mental health checks and public education as it pertains to passable legislation towards gun control. This information can be used towards forming policies on gun control despite the political divide. The study found that when a common ground exists amongst the political parties it can be a positive impact towards social change.

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