Gun control in America is one of the most controversial issues and subjects in the current United States. This topic of gun regulation and oversight seems to have been further exacerbated by the fact that the issue has been politicized beyond reasonable proportions. The politicization has led to people digging in on this matter and adopting radical positions as opposed to working together for a rational approach to gun ownership. Nonetheless, a causal glance at the present gun ownerships makes it glaringly evident that the United States need a more gun control laws. This is even more important when considered in the context of mass shootings and murders that use automatic weapons. This paper will focus on the persuasive messages such as the adverts opposing stricter gun control laws.
. Gun adverts can be divided into three categories according to a time when they were used; guns as a status symbol, guns for safety and protection and guns as an expression of a “fundamental” right. In the years following the WWII, the guns adverts sought to portray guns as a status symbol, an item comparable to a car that ever family ought to have. In fact, showing children how to use weapons was advertised as a duty of a proud and responsible parent. Guns at that point were advertised as an item whose ownership was traditional to an American home and a status symbol.
The next stage in gun advertising can be identified beginning around the 1970s to 1990s. It was marked by an increase in crime rates, especially in the inner cities. Therefore, the gun manufacturers decided to capitalize on this and began advertising guns as the ultimate defense for the “inevitable” carjacking’s, muggings and home invasions. The advertising can be seen when the new liberation of female gender and the emergence of women as a significant customer base when the adverts changed accordingly to target women buyers. Gun advertising in this instance was based on fear and used it very effectively. At this point, scholars began questioning the ethics of fear-based advertising with research showing that women were more likely to be in dangerous situations when they had the gun as opposed to without. This meant that women owning guns were at a greater risk of harm than those without guns. Furthermore, guns were noted for being more efficient at killing than protecting. On the other hand, statistics were published highlighting the fact that gun owning victims used their guns to scare away criminals more than 2 million times a year. This period can be considered to have ended in 1996 with repeated calls for the regulation of gun adverts.
The next period is the current phase of gun adverts that are mainly conducted by NRA that emphasize on a national conspiracy to take away the guns of law-abiding Americans and as a result, limit their fundamental right to gun ownership. The adverts in this era have primarily focused on promoting an anti-government sentiment and technological advancements. The conspiracy theory approach was spurred by a realization that most Americans are unlikely to buy more guns, and therefore, the adverts focus on persuading the few that buy the guns to buy many guns. In addition, guns advertising in this phase can be seen touting themselves as a symbol of masculinity.
In conclusion, it is apparent that short of advertsing and blurring of an otherwise straightforward issue that more gun control measures are needed. Gun control would be crucial in preventing unstable and criminal minded individuals from accessing large caliber guns and ammunition. Gun advertising has been remarkably effective in both increasing the gun ownership levels across America and also perpetuating some ill-held notions regarding gun control.
References
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