Agenda Setting in the Policy Process: The Power of a Focusing Event

Agenda Setting in the Policy Process: The Power of a Focusing Event

The worst nightmare of every parent came true in December 14, 2012, when TV news programs showedauthorities in Newtown, Connecticut responding to a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Police reported 27 deaths, including 20 children, six adults and the shooter. As the horrific details emerged from the shooting massacre, lawmakers, advocacy groups, and gun experts began weighing in on policy changes that they say could reduce the chances of another mass shooting.

Prior to responding, review the pros and cons of gun control measures that have been passed or introduced throughout the country since the Connecticut shooting by reviewing the following articles/statistics on the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) website (http://www.ncsl.org/). Use the Google Search function in the upper right hand side of the site to locate the following articles:

• “Grappling with the Gun Issue”
  • Source: Grappling with the Gun Issue: NCSL . Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/Portals/1/Documents/magazine/articles/2013/SL_0313-Stats.pdf
• “Two States, Same Challenge”
  • Source: Two States, Same Challenge: NCSL. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/Portals/1/Documents/magazine/articles/2013/SL_0713-TwoStates.pdf

Address the following questions with your initial response:

• How do policy concerns move from the systemic agenda to the institutional agenda?
• Who sets the institutional agenda?
• How does a “focusing event” force an issue to the institutional agenda?
• Does a “focusing” event have to be a sensational or tragic event in order for the policy issue to reach the institutional agenda?