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“Thoughts and Prayers”: The (Non) Effect of Partisan Responses to Mass Shootings on Public Opinion

Anil Menon et al.

Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law2026https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-1231807article
ABDC A
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Experts consider gun violence a public health crisis in the United States. Its increasing magnitude has pressured some Republican lawmakers to reconsider their responses to these events, moving away from sending condolences of "thoughts and prayers" to the victims and moving towards alternative, policy-oriented rhetoric. Ample literature in political science finds that how politicians speak about issues can shape voters' viewpoints on them. Could a Republican move away from "thoughts and prayers" rhetoric soften the cleavage on second amendment rights and lead to gun reform? Findings from a recent survey experiment suggest otherwise. Different rhetoric by Republican politicians did not move public opinion on firearm reform. There continues to be, however, substantial baseline support for several policies that would likely reduce gun violence. We comment on the implications of these findings on the politics of firearm policy reform in America.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-1231807

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@article{anil2026,
  title        = {{“Thoughts and Prayers”: The (Non) Effect of Partisan Responses to Mass Shootings on Public Opinion}},
  author       = {Anil Menon et al.},
  journal      = {Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-1231807},
}

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.