The Political Science department cordially invites you to celebrate our polisci faculty member Noah S. Schwartz on the publication of On Target: Gun Culture, Storytelling, and the NRA.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) is an important player 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 less attention for the mass mobilization efforts that make these political endeavors 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 and Virginia, including participant observation at NRA events and firearm safety classes, thematic analysis of audio-visual material, and interviews with NRA executives and members, On Target sheds light on the ways in which the NRA tells stories to build and mobilize a politically motivated network of gun owners.
Dr. Noah S. Schwartz is an assistant professor of political science at UFV. His research focuses on advocacy groups, social movements, and firearms policy in Canada and the United States. His research interests include group politics and social movements; the politics of narrative and memory; the theories of the policy process; and firearms policy.
Noah completed his masters’s degree in defence, development & diplomacy at Durham University in the United Kingdom, and his PhD at Carleton University in Ottawa. He was a final five winner in the 2020 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Storyteller’s Contest, and the Winner of the 2021 Carleton University Faculty of Public Affairs Teaching Achievement Award for contract instructors. Noah is a firm believer in engaged scholarship. In addition to his peer-reviewed journal articles and book, he has published editorials in national newspapers, such the National Post and Toronto Star.
Thurs, Nov 3, 4-6 pm
Abby A225 – UFV Boardroom (33844 King Road, Abbotsford, BC)
Open to UFV and the public, please RSVP to natasha.tvete@ufv.ca
Refreshments will be served.
For any questions, please contact edward.akuffo@ufv.ca or 604.504.7441 ext. 4444
11/03/2022