Gender, guns, and legislating: An analysis of state legislative policy preferences

Abstract

Extant research suggests that gender affects the policy preferences of state legislators, particularly on women's issues. Fewer studies, however, have examined whether gender affects state legislators' policy preferences on other issues such as gun control. The current study uses 2000 National Political Awareness Test (NPAT) data to examine whether gender affects the preferences of state legislators regarding gun control policies. Results suggest that net of individual and constituency characteristics, female legislators are more likely to indicate support for gun control policies than their male counterparts.