Posted on 10/28/2013 10:12:46 AM PDT by Maelstorm
PRINCETON, NJ -- Nearly a year after the Newtown, Conn., school shootings spawned considerable U.S. debate about passing stricter gun control laws, almost half of Americans believe the laws covering the sale of firearms should be strengthened and half say they should stay the same or be less strict.
Public support for stricter gun laws is down from 58% in the days after the December 2012 Newtown shootings, and is lower than it was from 2000 through 2006, when, for the most part, solid majorities of Americans favored such laws. However, it remains slightly higher than from 2009 to 2011, when support for stricter laws fell to record lows of 44% and 43%. Gallup's full trend, dating to 1990, can be found on page 2.
The current results, based on an Oct. 3-6 Gallup poll conducted prior to a recent school shooting in Nevada, are unchanged from what Gallup found in September.
Americans Broadly Oppose Banning Handguns
The new poll also finds public opposition to banning handgun ownership holding at a record-high 74%, identical to a year ago. One in four Americans think the law should limit possession to police and other authorized persons.
(Excerpt) Read more at gallup.com ...
And, I would wager to bet that this half has NEVER tried to purchase a firearm to begin with.
Maybe the U.S. remains divided... but what if they were not?
The fact remains that the 2A and the Constitution remain ROCK steady over gun law.
The key is to make sure we never relent from defending the 2A. As we have seen the Constitution protects nothing if we do not defend it vigorously and do no constantly remind people of their liberties and why they must be defended. Just one more appointment to the Supreme Court of the wrong kind of Justice could make the kind of transformation that Obama is doing to America look tame.
Yes but the good news is a clear super majority do not want the right to own a firearm banned. We need to keep it that way.
90% of the US has gone for gun liberty, with only a few blue states and municipalities working against constitutional rights.
Technically, that is “divided”, but you could also say on the issue of letting all convicted prisoners out of prison, since only the prisoners and maybe their families and friends support that, but nobody else, America is “divided” over that, too.
In either case, gun control or letting all prisoners go, they are still bad ideas, no matter how many people support them.
Any politician who suggests anything remotely akin to gun control should have a big target in the next election....we may not can get some of them but we should at least try.
Translation:
More than HALF oppose strengthening gun laws!
It's a good thing that a constitutional amendment isn't subject to public opinion...
Unfortunately it is subject to public opinion in today’s world. One in four is a very small minority and we have to keep it that way. That is why we always have to be vigilant.
I agree and as we saw in Colorado we can win even when massively outspent.
America also divided over reduced gun laws (e.g go European on gun mufflers - for the old guys with still useable hearing).
We must never forget that our Constitution guarantees us the right to keep and bear arms only as long as five of nine Supreme Court Justices agree that it does.
while it’s good news on handguns, it doesn’t address other platforms.
that’s what concerns me about these type of polls.
Gallup. Nuf said.
The Constitution is not held in place by polls. All gun laws are Unconstitutional.
Ahhh but it is even though for me it isn’t. All it takes is a public that elects a politician who then nominates a liberal to replace someone like Justice Scalia, Thomas, or Alito and our gun rights could be gone. There is no rest while the leftist progressive is afoot.
That's correct. People with productive jobs: 70% against; Scumbag tyrant politicians: 70% for.
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