Fear and Participation: The Political Aftermath of a Mass Shooting

• In Event: The Politics of Fear and Violence

Abstract

Is violence to which we attribute no motivation or meaning also meaningless for political engagement? In this paper, I consider the effects of a mass shooting on voting behavior, questioning whether such events leave the political fabric of a community untouched in their wake. Looking at the case of a 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, I ask if violence with no clear motivation or specific target has effects on political participation. I posit that this seemingly random event had non-negligible consequences for political participation in Las Vegas. Broadly, this paper extends our understanding of the political implications of violence, makes a case for the strength of implicit framing in relation to violence, and moreover demonstrates the importance of further pursuing the study of violence that has clear motivating identity or ideology.

Author

• Kiela Crabtree, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor