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Vanderbilt Television News Archive - Guns in America: 1960s & 70s

A selection of news reports, interviews, and investigations on the topic of gun control or gun violence in relation to US Presidential elections.

Guns and political campaigns: News from the 1960s and 1970s

  Record Number Title Network Date Runtime Summary
  1663 Wallace Campaign / Message ABC 9/12/1968 5 min 50 sec George Wallace discusses his support for law enforcement officials and firemen, emphasizing the importance of enforcing the law and addressing Supreme Court decisions regarding law enforcement.
1750 Wallace Campaign / Missouri / Truman's Town ABC 9/18/1968 4 min 20 sec Report mentions George Wallace's support for gun control laws.
  440341 Gun Control / President NBC 10/22/1968 2 min 20 sec the passing of a gun control law, the need for national registration and licensing of guns, and the challenges in enforcing restrictions on sales to the mentally disturbed.
  204427 Gun Control / Nashville CBS 6/6/1969 6 min 20 sec the impact of the Gun Control Act of 1968 on the importation and manufacturing of cheap concealable handguns in the country.
7936 Campaigns ABC 10/16/1970 4 min 20 sec A report mentioning the issue of federal gun control and the debate over disarming law-abiding citizens.
  448480 Gun Control / Maryland Senate Race NBC 10/28/1970 4 min 20 sec gun control laws, the influence of the gun lobby, and the debate over the right to bear arms in relation to a Senate campaign.
  222445 Campaign '72/Florida Primary CBS 3/9/1972 3 min 10 sec Report mentions New York Mayor John Lindsay waving a pistol bought from a Florida factory and chiding George Wallace for not talking about gun control and crime in the streets.
  20777 Gun Control ABC 5/26/1972 3 min 20 sec the debate over gun control laws, specifically focusing on the sale of cheap handguns and the fear of eventual confiscation among some gun owners.
223549 Campaign '72 / McGovern CBS 6/21/1972 8 min 20 sec Report mentions a resolution on gun control being discussed at a conference, along with the Vietnam war.
  25779 Commentary (Campaign Spending Law Reforms) ABC 5/14/1973 2 min 40 sec the influence of the gun lobby in preventing effective gun control laws from being passed, highlighting the power of special interest money in politics.
  27819 Comment (Campaign Funding) ABC 9/19/1973 2 min 40 sec the need for reform in campaign finance laws in order to address issues such as gun control legislation being consistently blocked in Congress.
  473606 Journal (Indiana Cong. Campaign) NBC 10/14/1974 4 min 0 sec A report mentioning gun control and the strong gun lobby, with one candidate being against licensing, registration, and confiscation.
39257 Commentary (Gun Control) ABC 9/10/1975 2 min 40 sec the need to abolish all handguns except for police use in order to reduce the probability of assassinations and gun violence.
  34930 Reagan / Campaign 1976 ABC 11/21/1975 2 min 10 sec Report mentions Ronald Reagan reaffirming his opposition to gun control as part of his presidential campaign platform.
  244293 Campaign 1976 / New Hampshire / Harris CBS 2/13/1976 3 min 20 sec A report mentioning Fred Harris' stance on gun control and his support for no handguns.
  487133 Campaign 1976 / New Hampshire / Carter / Jackson NBC 2/19/1976 4 min 0 sec Report on Jimmy Carter's stance on gun control and how it may impact his campaign.
42323 Gun Control / House ABC 3/2/1976 2 min 40 sec the defeat of gun control legislation in Congress due to intense lobbying efforts by the National Rifle Association and gun manufacturers.
  245363 Gun Control / House Committee CBS 4/13/1976 2 min 40 sec proposed ban on cheap pistols known as saturday night specials and the political debate surrounding gun control legislation.
  246971 Republican Campaign CBS 7/18/1976 2 min 0 sec A report mentioning how Senator Robert Dole argued that Carter has been hurt in the South by the selection of Mondale as his running mate, specifically pointing out that Mondale's support for gun control could be a negative factor for Southern voters.
247127 Republican Campaign / Reagan's Vice Presidential Choice / Reaction CBS 7/26/1976 5 min 0 sec Report mentions that Senator Richard Schweiker and Ronald Reagan agreed on gun control, indicating their stance on the issue.
  489234 Republican Campaign / Reagan's Vice Presidential Choice / Reaction NBC 7/26/1976 7 min 40 sec Report mentions that Senator Richard Schweiker and Ronald Reagan agreed on major issues including gun control.
  247352 Campaign 1976 / Republican Convention / Platform Committee CBS 8/10/1976 3 min 40 sec A report mentioning hardline positions on gun control as part of the platform planks written by conservatives in the Republican party.
489479 Campaign 1976 / Republican Convention / Conservatives NBC 8/11/1976 2 min 50 sec A report mentioning conservative Republicans pushing for a hard line on gun control in the party platform.
  247394 Campaign 1976 / Republican Convention / Platform CBS 8/12/1976 2 min 20 sec A report mentioning a victory for Reagan's backers on gun controls during the Republican platform committee meetings.
  44802 Campaign 1976 / Republican Convention / Platform ABC 8/12/1976 1 min 20 sec A report mentioning opposition to federal gun control as one of the decisions made by the platform committee.
  489500 Campaign 1976 / Republican Convention / Platform NBC 8/12/1976 3 min 40 sec A report mentioning the issue of mandatory jail sentences for anyone committing a crime with a gun as part of the Republican Party platform debate.
  247416 Campaign 1976 / Republican Convention / Platform CBS 8/13/1976 4 min 30 sec A report mentioning the opposition to gun control and support of mandatory sentences for crimes involving dangerous weapons in the Republican platform.
489570 Campaign 1976 / Republican Convention / Platform NBC 8/17/1976 2 min 40 sec Report on the Republican platform and potential amendments, including one related to the Second Amendment.
  44942 Campaign 1976 / American Independent Party / Maddox ABC 8/23/1976 2 min 40 sec A report mentioning that former Georgia governor Lester Maddux is against gun control.
  45008 Campaign 1976 / American Independent Party Convention ABC 8/26/1976 2 min 0 sec A report mentioning that the American Independent Party strongly opposes gun control in their platform.
45025 Campaign 1976 / American Independence Party Convention / Platform / Nominee ABC 8/27/1976 2 min 50 sec Report mentions the American Independent Party's platform against gun control.
  490177 Ford / South Campaign Trip / Carter NBC 9/27/1976 4 min 50 sec President Ford restated his opposition to gun control during his campaign in Miami.
40528 Campaign 1976 / Colorado / Tax Issue / Public Control ABC 10/26/1976 3 min 0 sec A report mentioning gun control as one of the issues put on the ballot in certain states.
  261264 Campaign '80 / Anderson Interview CBS 11/23/1979 7 min 50 sec A report mentioning that John Anderson is for gun control, which sets him apart from most other Republican candidates.
  261942 Campaign '80 / Bush Interview CBS 12/6/1979 7 min 50 sec Report mentions that George Bush is against gun control.