A fundamental misunderstanding of gun politics in America
MINOT, N.D. — With another horrific school shooting in the headlines, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead (a publication owned by my employer) leaned into the coverage , plastering the front page of their June 2 print edition with the grades North Dakota’s elected officials have received from the National Rifle Association.
It left me disappointed. Not because this is bad journalism — it’s always illuminating to learn about the relationships between interest groups and politicians — but because I’m just not sure what’s been revealed.
Elected officials representing a state that has more guns per capita than Texas are generally pro-gun rights?
Is anyone surprised?
But more problematic is that these sort of stories are premised on what I believe to be a fundamental misunderstanding of gun politics in America.
