Dan Cassion 80x108Why do Americans buy guns? For many, it’s because they are worried that new gun control measures may stop them from buying guns in the future. Dan Cassino examines the role of the news media – specifically Fox and network news, in driving Americans’ fears about gun control. He finds that while mass shootings do lead to an increase in gun sales – as measured by the number of background checks – coverage of gun control measures by Fox leads to far more. He writes that in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings in 2012, for example, coverage of gun control by Fox News led to an additional 1.9 million background checks.
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