Finding a Frame that Fits: Analyzing and Comparing Rival Framing of American Gun Control Policy in 2013

This paper uses and expands upon the theoretical framework of political framing theory to analyze the messages that came out of different gun lobby groups during the early 2013 debate on gun control legislation that was being discussed within the United States Congress. My research question is what are the elements of a political action frame for a piece of legislation that can lead to positive or negative public opinion of it? To conduct my research I use a mixed-methods research approach to analyze recent political framing in regards to American gun control policy. For the qualitative part of the paper, I conduct a content analysis of both pro and anti-gun control messaging that came from the major gun lobby groups during the earlier part of 2013. For the quantitative part, I conduct a questionnaire experiment in which individuals are randomly assigned one of three potential frames, and I analyze the reception that each frame receives from participants. See the author\u27s related senior thesis