Congressional Responses to Mass Shootings: Evidence From Press Releases

• In Event: Exploring the Role of Contextual, Legal, and Political Factors Influencing Gun Violence

Abstract

Mass shootings are perhaps the most salient form of gun violence in the US, despite their infrequent occurrence. Elected officials, as prominent figures with ready access to the media, are one type of actor who can propel this issue to the top of the public agenda or suppress it through neglect. In this paper, we ask why some elected officials respond to mass public shootings while others remain silent. To answer this question, we merge data on mass public shootings, congressional representatives, and representatives’ press releases from 2017 through 2020. We assess whether congressional responses to mass public shootings (in the form of press releases) are associated with features of the victims, the shooters, or the representatives. Based on a series of logistic regression models, we find that representatives are most likely to respond to a mass shooting when there are more fatalities; when the offender is Black and has a history of mental illness; and when the representative is a Republican representing a wealthy district or the state where the shooting occurred. Findings help us to understand how and why certain mass shootings are elevated on the public agenda, which has implications for policy and politics surrounding gun violence.

Authors

• Brett Burkhardt, Oregon State University

• Christopher Stout, Oregon State University