Analysis Finds Mass Shootings Exert Minimal Effect On Voting

By Tom Knighton

AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

As gun folks, we tend to pay close attention to the political landscape following mass shootings. An event like Parkland, for example, can have significant ramifications on gun laws and who gets elected.

However, a recent analysis suggests that the swing may not be all that significant.

A Washington Post analysis of voting results shows a similar trend following other recent, large mass shootings: a modest swing toward Democratic candidates, who often champion gun control laws, with Parkland’s three-point shift at the median.

“You would think, indeed, because everyone in these places knows people who know people affected by this, that that personal experience would magnify the impact,” said Robert Spitzer, who has written five books on the politics of gun control. “But my general assumption is those communities’ larger focus generally really isn’t about politics, and it really does not profoundly change local politics.”

The Post’s review examined communities that experienced seven of the deadliest mass shootings since Newtown, Connecticut, including Orlando; Las Vegas; Pittsburgh; San Bernardino, Calif.and Sutherland Springs, Texas.

The analysis used results in the first presidential or …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms

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