NRA's public standing takes a hit [View all]

[babylonsister]

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/01/09/16433296-nras-public-standing-takes-a-hit?lite

NRA's public standing takes a hit
By Steve Benen
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Wed Jan 9, 2013 2:49 PM EST


Following up on Laura's piece, the National Rifle Association isn't just sending creepy fundraising appeals; it's also alienating more and more of the American mainstream. A new survey from Public Policy Polling offers some bad news for the conservative group.

PPP found that the organization now has a negative favorability rating, which is a reversal from a poll conducted the week before Wayne LaPierre's bizarre press conference on the massacre in Newtown, Conn.



The NRA's agenda isn't exactly winning people over, either -- 41% of poll respondents support the effort to deploy armed guards to schools nationwide, while 50% oppose the idea. (Most Democrats and independents reject the proposal, while most Republicans endorse it.) The notion of arming school teachers is backed by only 27% of the public, and even most gun owners do not favor the idea.

As for Congress, the legislative branch's approval rating has dropped to new depths, reaching just 7%. But one party fares far worse than the other -- congressional Democrats have a 38% approval rating, while congressional Republicans' support stands at just 15%.