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Explaining The Nras Radical Transformation : The Role Of Identity And Strategy In Discursive Boundary Work And The Emergence Of Sub-Group Dominance, William A. Sisk

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation asks how a radical faction within the National Rifle Association (NRA) took over the organization and transformed it into such a dominant force in American politics. To address this question, the researcher conducted a historical discourse analysis of articles and letters in two prominent gun magazines – Guns & Ammo and Field & Stream – during a critical period of development from 1958 to 1978. The project integrates existing theoretical models based on identity (Castells 2004) and discourse coalitions (Dodge & Metze 2016; Hajer 1995) to understand the process by which coalitional boundaries get shaped and reshaped in …