Framing the Issues 

Firearm Safety

The conservative position is that Americans have a right to bear arms (interpreted to mean the right to own and carry guns by private citizens).

Conservative and NRA frame: Defense, specifically self-defense. The self-defense frame consists of an aggressor, a victim, and a means for defending oneself. The aggressor could be a burglar, a carjacker, a mugger or a nutcase. The victim could be a homeowner, a driver or shopper, even a student or congresswoman.  The conservative narrative is the The Wild West. The weapon of the aggressor is always assumed to be a gun (unfortunately all too often true) and therefore their choice of weapon for defending oneself is also a gun. One assumption in this narrative is that individual action is best. Another assumption is that the likelihood of being a victim is so high that owning a gun to defend oneself is justified. Neither of these assumptions is valid.

The progressive position is that public safety must be maintained. Keep firearms of any type away from criminals and the mentally ill. Prevent accidental shootings with legitimate weapons. There is no legitimate need for assault weapons.

Progressive frame: Prevention. This frame consists of a problem, persons who are affected and an entity that prevents the problem from occurring. The problem in this case is the possibility that guns can be acquired by criminals or the mentally ill and the possibility of accidental shootings. Persons who are affected are any victims who may be shot on purpose or by accident. The preventing entity is government, which can control who is allowed to own or carry a gun and can require training for legitimate owners of firearms. The progressive narrative is Law Enforcement. Let laws and police handle any threats to public safety. The assumption here is that collective action by government is best.

Metaphor: Firearms are like cars. An analogy to registration of motor vehicles and driver training is appropriate. Both cars and guns present a potential danger to the public. The American public readily accepts the necessity of registering cars and licensing drivers to assure that cars are safe and that drivers are trained and prevented from driving if they have an unsafe driving record.  Public safety demands similar treatment of firearms and their owners.

Words to avoid:

Gun control.  Use "gun safety" instead.