Literature Review on "Public Problem Why Gun Laws Should Be Changed"

Literature Review 4 pages (1123 words) Sources: 2

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Gun Control

Changing the Gun Laws: Literature Review and Recommendations

Recent events have highlighted the fact that the United States has a serious and unchecked gun violence problem. In December of 2012, Adam Lanza, a 20-year-old man with mental illness and a stockpile of automatic and semi-automatic weapons, entered the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Square, opening fire on students and teachers. The shooter killed 20 young students and 6 faculty members before turning the gun on himself. The event would highlight the degree to which lax gun laws have allowed individuals like Lanza to access his implements of murder. It would also hasten a vote in Congress by April of the following year aimed at expanding background checks for prospective gun owners. Driven by a strong effort on the part of President Obama, the rational gun control standards were nonetheless defeated by the entrenched Republican and Tea Party elements of Congress. This defeat would demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt the intense difficulty of serving in a leadership capacity over controversial public administration issues. The literature review and recommendations here below demonstrate that in spite of the obvious need for and public support of reasonable gun control laws, the process of public administration is inherently beset with ideological and political obstacles.

Leadership Theory and Public Administration Literature Review:

According to Barrett & Cohen (2013), in spite of clear public support in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting, politically powerful lobby groups would stand in the way even of modest strengthening of gun laws. The article reports that "fierce opposition by the powerful National Rifle Association led a backlash by conservative Republicans and a few Democrats from pro-gun states that doomed key proposals in the gun package, even after they had been watered down to try to satisfy opponents." (Barrett & Cohen, p. 1)

This article contributes the finding to our discussion that public administration often has less to do with serving the public will than navigating the various institutional forces designed to obstruct change. The article by Barrett & Cohen highlights the divided nature of America's political vanguard, demonstrating that the thrust toward public administrative change must clear a number of pronounced hurdles. This is why, the text by Rainey (2009) will ultimately show, public administration is typically seen as a process of maintenance and stability rather than change and progress.

Indeed, to an extent, the executive government is incapable of making any type of rapid or radical change. Even the most progressive legislation such as that which President Obama attempted to pass into action with regard to expanded background checks, would be tempered by the demands, expectations and pressures of countless public officials, agencies, lobby groups and corporations which have been long-entrenched in the affairs of our government. This is to say that incremental decision-making is the only feasible way to approach this entrenchment and bring about some meaningful elements of change. As the text by Rainey denotes, "incrementalism in decision making means concentrating on increments to existing circumstances, or relatively limited changes from existing conditions." (Rainey, 184)

Though it would seem inherent that rational decision-making might more sensibly address the needs of a governed system such as our nation's healthcare, the number of stakeholders and the entrenched nature of the system mean that wholesale change cannot be had immediately without serious and destructive consequences. Instead, we must… READ MORE

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