As the race for the presidency becomes increasingly dominated by sound bites and debate clips, our aim is to focus on the policy issues that are at stake. GPPR will publish a series of ‘Policy Cards’ that provide readers with a visual crib sheet on where each candidate stands on a major issue. For our inaugural ‘Policy Card’, we have chosen to look at the issue of gun control.
Gun control is one of the most polarizing policy issues in modern American politics. Tragedies in the states of Washington, Connecticut and Colorado have generated public despair and outrage at the prevalence of gun crime in the US. However, the sanctity of the Constitution and specifically the Second Amendment have meant that legislators are unwilling to address it. Many expect the next President to be a defining player in the struggle over how to regulate gun ownership in America. Each candidate’s position on this critical issue is a litmus test for their electoral base. With gun related deaths in America high by international standards, and with current political discourse so polarized, gun control policy may be one of the defining issues of this election cycle.
Established in 1995, the Georgetown Public Policy Review is the McCourt School of Public Policy’s nonpartisan, graduate student-run publication. Our mission is to provide an outlet for innovative new thinkers and established policymakers to offer perspectives on the politics and policies that shape our nation and our world.