The
shooting rampages in Colorado and California have the raised the national
debate over guns to a fever pitch but the first issue to be decided among those
calling for action is this: Are you talking about gun control, or a few basic
changes to gun access?
That may
sound like semantics, but polling shows those two phrases make a huge
difference in public perception.
example, the latest public survey on gun issues by the Pew Research Center
finds strong, bipartisan support for expanding background checks to all gun
purchases (85%) and preventing people with mental illness from acquiring
firearms (79%).
Though a
partisan divide emerges on two other proposals in this July survey, a majority
favor the creation of a federal database to track all gun sales (85% Democratic support, 55% GOP) and
a ban on assault-style weapons (70% Dems, 48% GOP).
However,
that’s only half of the story.
20-year trend against restrictions
Pew
found that a 20-year trend, with growing numbers of Americans
saying protecting Second Amendment rights was more important than restricting
guns, had reached a crescendo in December 2014. A slight majority, some 52
percent, gave the edge to gun rights over gun control.
In the
newest survey, that divide has slipped back to about 50-50 but the numbers
raise questions about liberal Democrats’ contention that the lack of
action on gun control is the result of undue influence by the NRA.
The polling
finds that since 2000 the partisan gap on opinions about the NRA has grown
substantially, with 68% of Democrats now saying the lobbying group has too much
influence, compared to 13% of Republicans. (The Trump-Cruz wing of the GOP may
be startled to learn that 15 years ago one-third of the GOP said the NRA was
too influential.)
research shows that the NRA, in a very broad sense, is generally in tune with many Americans. Those who
agree that “government controls too much of our daily lives,” which extends far
beyond the GOP base, typically oppose stricter gun laws.
A large 2012
survey by the Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation found that the correlation
was stark. Among those who strongly agreed government had too much control, 70%
opposed more gun restrictions. That dropped to 45% among those who “somewhat
agreed” government had too much control and 24% among those who strongly
disagreed government was too controlling.
more – more data that shows a fundamental disconnect between those advocating
gun control (there’s that phrase again) and the public. This is not limited to
mostly Southern Red States. The impact of America’s “gun culture” is
everywhere.
If you look
at the chart below, it shows the differing opinions about gun controls among households
with gun ownership and those without. But if you focus on the last set of
results at the bottom it shows that a near-majority (47%) of the overall public
agrees that gun control will “lead to laws which will take away guns from all
citizens.” And even among those who do not own guns, 45 percent – again, nearly
a majority – also believe that the government will go too far and confiscate
guns from everyone.
statistic that should shake gun control advocates to the core.
in mocking conservatives’ fearful predictions that “Obama is coming to take our guns.” It
turns out that many Americans, in a bit more nuanced manner, share those same
fears.
The key partisan
difference is that for Republicans and conservatives the president is the
lightning rod, the mastermind behind a movement to scuttle the Second
Amendment. Since Barack Obama took office, firearms sales have surged and the share
of Republicans who favor gun rights over gun controls has shot up to 75%.
trend is clear, as the FBI reports that last Friday a record was set for
one-day requests for pre-purchase firearms background checks across the country.
Friday, while many of us were buying TVs and clothes and toys, millions of
Americans were marking the holiday season by purchasing pistols and rifles.
Change Constitution so those in WAR (soldiers) get weapons. The rest of us civilians have no reason to have a home arsenal at the ready. Hunting wild game doesn't require tons of ammo or an extremely wide assortment of firearms.