Rhetoric in relation to gun violence and gun control follows a similar pattern to the language around mental health. Discussion of this topic has increased drastically over the decades mass shootings are occurring at a faster rate today. The talk about gun control and gun violence in the articles from the 2000s and 2010s shot up compared to those published in the 1980s and 1990s. In contrast to the 1980s and 1990s, the 2000s and 2010s NYT articles saw a significant increase in the discussion of gun regulation and gun violence. This was specifically supported in the 2010’s with the Las Vegas shooting where four of the seven articles spoke extensively about gun laws and gun control. In the 1980s, in contrast, gun laws were mentioned in only one of seven articles; in the sole article, gun laws for the specific state were outlined. It is important to note that over time, conversation about gun laws and control has skyrocketed.
A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS: BREAK DOWN BY ARTICLE MENTION OF GUN VIOLENCE OR GUN CONTROL
In my quantitative analysis, in seven of the 1980’s NYT articles, the mention of gun control was used in one article, which leaves it at 14.2%. In the 1990s, five articles mentioned gun control or gun violence for a total of 71.4%. In the 2000s, four of the seven articles mentioned gun violence or gun control which leaves it at 57.1%. Finally, in the 2010s all seven articles spoke about gun violence or control to a total of 100%. All results are shown above in the graph. There has been a dramatic increase in relation to the mention of gun violence and gun control throughout the four decades. Although there was a dip in the 2000s by one article in my sample, there is still evidence that the usage of these terms has increased along with the increase in mass shootings.