Despite the slew of mass shootings that have been in the news over the past few years, support for gun rights in America still appears strong. That is, according to a recent Pew poll, which spoke to 2,010 adults, of whom 1,567 were registered voters.
The poll found that 52% of Americans want to want to “protect the right of Americans to own guns,” and 46% want to pass more gun control laws. When the poll was first taken in 2000, 66% of Americans wanted more gun control, and only 29% wanted to protect gun rights.
The Pew poll also found a startling divide between Republicans and Democrats. Though it’s well known that Democrats generally support gun control, and Republicans generally do not, most people don’t realize that this wasn’t always in the case. In the past, support for the Second Amendment didn’t fall so strictly along party lines. These days however…
Today, registered voters who prefer the Democratic candidate are more supportive of controlling gun ownership than during the four previous campaigns, while supporters of the Republican candidate are less supportive.
By more than four-to-one (79% to 19%), Clinton supporters prioritize controlling gun ownership over protecting gun rights. By about nine-to-one (90% to 9%), Trump supporters express the opposite view – that it is generally more important to protect gun rights than control gun ownership.
Of course, since the question merely asks what Americans would generally prefer, there is bipartisan support for certain gun laws. 81% of the population wants “background checks for private and gun show purchases.” The most alarming result from the poll showed that 71% of the population would favor banning guns for people on federal terror watch lists. However, since this is the first time that Pew has asked the question, it’s impossible to say whether or not that idea is becoming more popular among Americans. A so-called “no fly no buy” policy would allow the government to restrict gun ownership to any American on an individual basis, without any due process.
On the plus side, support for an “assault weapons” ban has fallen drastically. A month after the Orlando night club shooting, support for an assault weapons ban exploded to 57% of Americans. Just one month after that, it has fallen to 52%, which is what typically happens in the weeks following a mass shooting.
Perhaps the most positive development for gun rights activists, can be found in how these results break down on demographic lines. Adults in the 18-29 age group had the least amount of support for either an assault weapons ban, or a ban on high capacity magazines. The Hispanic population, which is massive and until recently was the second fastest growing racial demographic in America, also had the least amount of support for those gun control measures. Clearly, the Second Amendment has a future in America.
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Joshua Krause is a reporter, writer and researcher at The Daily Sheeple. He was born and raised in the Bay Area and is a freelance writer and author. You can follow Joshua’s reports at Facebook or on his personal Twitter. Joshua’s website is Strange Danger.
The 2nd amendment has completely failed the US populace against the loss of its freedoms due to the manipulations of the politicians who do the work of the elites that follow the dictates of the Reptilian Overlords. The alien/military/industrial/complex is busy with the work of Agenda 21 and doesn’t care about the wants of the citizens and their meaningless 2nd amendment. Owning firearms and ammunition will not stop the corruption of humans by the hidden hand of the alien forces that are manipulating everything including our DNA which decides what is human in the first place.
The Second Amendment has failed no one. How can you even say such a thing? If you want to point a finger – and why not? – it has been failed by politicians of totalitarian bent, and a complacent citizenry who did nothing when their guaranteed freedoms were bargained away. Some effing “bargain”.
Well put
The 2nd amendment hasn’t failed. Citizens have failed. They have failed by voting in tyrants. Yet the 2nd is still the best deterrent to tyranny. An unarmed people are never a free people.
Anyone here ever wonder why these mass shootings took such an exponential jump in numbers when Obama took the presidency? How about his hometown Chicago which has the toughest gun control laws in the land? How’s all that gun control working for them? And this is what Hillary wants to do? Double down on gun control? Hello? Anybody home?
Your point seems to be that Chicago is responsible for an increase in mass shootings. Yet I am unaware of any mass shooters with any connection to Chicago.
I am as staunch a 2A supporter as you will find anywhere, anytime. But you chose to try and make an invalid point in a terrible manner. Thanks a lot – it didn’t help at all.
The [media blown out of proportion] mass shootings increased under Obama because he gave the green light for the false flag attacks and drills to occur. These were B.S. events that could only have happened under a President that was in favor of gun control. It has nothing to do with crime stats or gun control in Chicago.
1st of all the picture of the guy holding his gun down by his side must have been posed by a Liberal. 2nd , the 2nd amend mentioned is not up for debate. The meaning is simple. As usual liberals ignore the obvious and the law. The amendment is the one and only that states it can not be regulated. Law abiding citizen have the right to own whatever they want. Read the Federalist papers. Jefferson explains it very clearly. ” shall not be infringed” , why is it so hard to Understand? We the people are in charge. Those in D.C work for us so if they aren’t doing their jobs and honoring their oath to defend the Constitution, fire them. Either primary them out or recall them. So when you go to vote just remember that there is a reason Hillary and her ilk want to destroy the 2nd amendment, it protects all the rest. It keeps tyranny in check.
…”every amendment is subject to reasonable restraint…” hillbillary concerning the U.S. amendments.
Hillary v1 is more than likely gone. A new and imporved Hillary v2 will soon appear and the invisible unholy scum will once again defeat the elections with rigged vote counting.
The unholy biped will be the first cgi potus.
All but the 2nd by its words alone. The only restraint to the second is if you use it for unlawful purposes. Robbing a bank, murder or to keep anyone from performing their God given constitutional rights.
The current no-name potus is the best gun salesman of all time.
Now it should be broken down on how many gun rights people actually support it? I believe gun rights are apart of the litmus test for those who are actually interested in liberty as opposed of just using the state’s gun on others. However I also believe in a litmus test for gun rights in itself, if one is truly interested in gun rights:
1. Does one believe that the second amendment is the only gun license that people need (aka negating all state licenses)?
2. Does one believe that anyone in jail for gun possession for just having said gun (not committing any other crime) should be pardoned?
3. Does one believe everyone has the right to carry firearms?
4. Is one prepared to cross the Thin Blue Line if gun confiscation were to occur?
Answer to all is yes. The 2nd amendment just enumerates a God given right. Gov. can’t take what it doesn’t give. We inherently have a God given right to self defense against any person or repressive government.