Description
Respond to the following questions making sure to tie in material from this week’s readings and lesson materials:
How have polarized ideological positions contributed to the stalemate on US gun control?
Is this a case of interest group politics (e.g NRA is powerful lobbying group) controlling a policy agenda?
Not addressing a gun crime problem may actually be a political choice – it might promote support a value choice (e.g. freedom, patriotism). Do you see political elites using gun control debates to exploit the fear of Americans about losing control or being left behind? Does this make gun control a partisan issue?
Hagan, Chapters 3 and 4
Simon, Chapters 1 and 3
Hagan, John. 2010. Who are the Criminals? The Politics of Crime Policy from the Age of
Roosevelt to the Age of Regan. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Simon, Jonathan. 2007. Governing Through Crime: How the War on Crime Transformed
American Democracy. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
