Citation

Gimpel JG. Soc. Sci. Q. 1998; 79(3): 634-648.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, Southwestern Social Science Association and the University of Texas, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Objective. I examine the influence of gun ownership on political behavior in state elections where the National Rifle Association (NRA) has officially endorsed a candidate and in states where there were no endorsements awarded. In theory, NRA endorsements should affect gun owners' political choices since an endorsement provides information that helps gun owners make the connection between their personal interests and the views of political officeholders and candidates. Methods. Using Voter Research and Surveys 1994 Election Day Exit Polls, I modeled the vote for governor by using standard logistic regression, I first modeled the vote in those states where the NRA endorsed a candidate. Then I modeled the vote in those states where there was no endorsement and compared the coefficients across the two models. Results. The results indicate that NRA endorsements make little difference. Gun owners are a distinct-issue public, especially in close races and in states with restrictive gun control laws on the books, but these differences appear to have little to do with NRA involvement. Conclusions. Gun ownership is sufficiently politicized that the additional cue of an interest group endorsement provides no new information. Gun rights forces can influence few elections by relying on endorsements alone.