Description
Book SynopsisThe National Rifle Association (NRA) is an important actor in the American gun debate. While popular explanations for the group’s influence often focus on the NRA’s lobbying and campaign donations, it receives lesser attention for the mass mobilization efforts that make these political endeavours possible.
On Target explores why the NRA is so influential and how we can understand the group’s impact on firearms policy in the United States. The book looks at how the NRA both draws upon and shapes historical meta-narratives regarding the role of firearms in America’s national identity and how this is part of a larger effort to expand the community of gun owners. Noah S. Schwartz demonstrates how the NRA portrays a vision of the past through events such as its annual meeting; communications such as American Rifleman magazine and NRA TV; and points of contact including the National Firearms Museum.
Based on fieldwork in Indiana an
Table of Contents
Acronyms 1. Introduction to the Great Gun Debate 2. What Is the Gun Culture? 3. Narrative and Memory 4. On Paper and Online 5. Points of Contact: The NRA Annual Meeting 6. Home on the Range 7. The NRA Firearms History Museum 8. Conclusion Appendices Bibliography
