Targeted

by Noah S. Schwartz

Guns may be as American as apple pie, but what does it mean to own a gun north of the 49th parallel? While policy battles over gun control are often associated with American politics, debates about gun control are raging in Canada, prompting Canadian gun owners to transition from hobbyists to advocates. In Targeted, political scientist Noah S. Schwartz provides an insider’s perspective on gun culture in Canada, unpacking the differences between Canadian and American gun activism. He explores how Canadians interpret the rising pro-gun movement in the country, its self-perception, its goals, and the strategies and funding sources that sustain it.
Arguing that a distinct pro-gun culture is emerging in Canada, Targeted highlights how the demands of the movement are closely linked to significant divisions in Canadian politics, such as the rural-urban divide and western alienation. Rather than viewing gun ownership as an unassailable constitutional right, the book reveals how Canadian gun owners frame their demands as a call for fair treatment from their leaders.

248 pages, Paperback

Published August 26, 2025

About the author

Dr. Noah S. Schwartz is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of the Fraser Valley. His scholarship focuses on advocacy groups, social movements, and firearms policy in Canada and the United States.

His research interests include group politics and social movements; the politics of narrative and memory; the theories of the policy process; and firearms policy.

He is the author of On Target: Gun Culture, Storytelling & the NRA, as well as several journal articles and op-eds.