The Attitude-Action Connection and the Issue of Gun Control

Abstract

This article examines the claim that opponents of gun permit laws feel much more intensely about the matter than do proponents and that this helps explain the political success of the opponents, despite their smaller number. Surprisingly, results from a national sample survey provide no support for the claim at the purely subjective level. In fact, when respondents were asked how strongly they felt about the issue of gun permits, supporters of a permit law responded with slightly more intensity. However, when asked whether they had ever acted on the issue—written letters, contributed money, or both—opponents were markedly more likely to respond in the affirmative. The apparent inconsistency between these findings seems to be due to the fact that strength of feeling and taking action are highly related for permit op ponents, but not for proponents. Thus among respondents who believe the issue to be most important, opponents are quite likely to act on their beliefs, whereas this is not so for proponents —a difference that may well reflect the superiority in organizational effectiveness of the forces opposed to gun control. The concept of single issue politics is therefore more complex than is often realized and requires investigation of both the individual and the organizational levels, as well as of the connection between them.