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Following the recent mass shootings there has been a noticeable spike in support for stricter gun laws; but overall, a plurality of Americans are still satisfied with our current gun laws, according to Gallup. From Gallup:
This is a reminder that even though the politics around gun control have changed noticeably in the last few months, it would still be a significant political lift to change the gun laws. While other polling has shown there is overwhelming support for a few particular provisions, there does not seem to be overwhelming grassroots desire for sweeping changes.
This is one of the reasons why any gun control proposals from the White House will likely contain several very modest reforms that many people would probably be surprised to learn aren’t current law.
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i would guess a large number of amurkins don’t really know what “gun laws” actually are, and say/do wrt to the regulation of weapons. laws about weapons vary so widely and are so different from state to state, i find this poll a bit useless as a result.
still, i’m sure that the lack of popular upswelling demanding serious change in easy to get a gun states has a lot to do with the fact that from what i can tell, the SCLM is all about letting every last gun nut on teevee, making ridiculous arguments about how guns make battered women safer when their husbands have them and how important it is to arm kindergarten teachers and suchlike.
In a true Democracy plurality don’t rule and polls don’t count everyone’s vote. That said it would be nice if polls were publicized and promoted by the MSM in an evenhanded way but it is clear they find polls that favor the PTB point of view and give them a big send up but other polls that say favor the 99% or majority they discount or even stifle.
I think need to see more crazy gun people on TV and then someone rational saying, “These are the people that desire guns, lots of guns. They are busy when you aren’t paying attention. Pay attention.”
Sorry, this is just plain ridiculous.
Asking people to respond to a question that is as nebulous as possible and then taking these results into a specificity that they do not deserve.
If you want to ask people question about gun laws, ask them something specific like, “Do you believe that convicted felons should be able to purchase multiple guns – including assault rifles and handguns that support high capacity magazines – as long as they have the ability to pay?”
Then see what the answers are and report them – with the questions.
This is an issue about which I have zero respect for arguments by the NRA or solutions that threaten the NRA .It all reflects shallow-minded thinking that wants solutions to conform with value-laden biases .Over 100 million illegal firearms are part and essential parcel of illegal drug trafficking in America , and this inconvenient truth is ignored because a solution would entail extending civil liberties rather than quashing them in a debate about 1st and 2nd amendments .
Whatever weak-tea solutions Obama intends to propose ,he should quit dithering and get on with it touts suite .The pending anxiety is yielding record NRA membership and unprecedented firearms and ammo sales .
Gee, looking at your graph, I would say that heading isn’t going to hold true much longer. Just a guess of course.
As to the veracity of the poll — Didn’t Gallup predict Willard was a winner?
I agree with Rich. Gallup was in the toilet for RMoney and prob is on the take from the NRA. Other polls have come out showing that a majority of NRA members are okay with more gun control and that most Americans are for closing the loopholes.