50% Oppose Stricter Gun Control Laws

[X_Digger]

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/gun_control/50_oppose_stricter_gun_control_laws

ust 39% of Americans now say the United States needs stricter gun control, as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to review the constitutionality of state and local anti-gun laws.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 50% are opposed to stricter gun control laws, and 11% are not sure.

In March, 43% favored stricter gun control laws. In previous surveys, voters have been narrowly divided on the question.

Men by 23 points oppose stricter gun control laws. Women are evenly divided. Sixty-five percent (65%) of Democrats favor tighter control of guns, but 69% of Republicans and 62% of adults not affiliated with either party disagree.

Rasmussen always seems to be a few points ahead of Gallup on the guns issue (see http://www.gallup.com/poll/123596/In-U.S.-Record-Low-Support-Stricter-Gun-Laws.aspx)

[havocmom]

1. Focusing on widening gun control laws ahead of all the other pressing problems

is a sure fire way to NOT be in any position to address the other pressing problems. Can't fix things if you're out of office.

[movonne]

2. gun laws need to be fixed...

[havocmom]

4. Lots of things need to be fixed.

Doing guns ahead of everything else will put the Democratic party, and liberals in a position of not being able to fix anything.

NOTHING rallies the right as fast as 'they want your guns'. Why make the GOP look like they have a point, at least until we get other, more pressing issues addressed. Lots more deaths and tragedies from the other problems.

Triage. It is a sane practice.

[daa]

10. Yep Guns and abortion

Those are the biggest issues we have and it not only fires up repugs, it loses democrats. Just ask Al Gore who won W. VA and TENN and what the issue was.

[sabbat hunter]

15. That what was claimed

would happen in 2008 in PA and other states. But lo and behold Obama won PA, NC.

In reality in 2000 Gore ran a horrible campaign, tried to distance himself from a popular president for some strange reason. (not to mention florida)

[imdjh]

7. Yeah, they need to be repealed.

[GreenStormCloud]

8. Yes, they do need to be fixed. They need to be loosened.

A national concealed carry "shall-issue" law would be nice. A person holding it would be authorized to carry concealed in all states and territories. It could be modeled on Texas Concealed Handgun License system.

[sabbat hunter]

3. there is one major loop

In the current gun laws the "gun show" loop hole needs to be closed.

[X_Digger]

6. Which section of USC 18 has a 'loop hole'?

Here, feel free to find it- http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/usc_sup_01_18_10_I_20_44.html

What part of that body of law doesn't apply at gun shows, but applies elsewhere?

[X_Digger]

13. Still waiting..

*whistles the theme to Jeopardy*

[sabbat hunter]

16. people work you know

and cannot constantly be on DU checking responses to posts. :)

[sabbat hunter]

14. The one that requires

background checks.
At gun shows many claim to be "private sellers" but actually have huge caches of weapons that they sell legally, without any background checks.

[armueller2001]

17. Source please...

..

[X_Digger]

18. Private sellers can sell anywhere.. try again..

In order for there to be a 'gun show' 'loophole', there has to be a law that is circumvented at gun shows.

Please show me the law, from the above section of US code that says that a) private sales without background checks are legal at gun shows only, b) something to the effect of 'this law does not apply at gun shows', or c) some other bit of law that allows what would otherwise be illegal behavior to occur at gun shows (hence 'loophole').

It's okay, I'll let you off the hook.

There is no law that only applies at gun shows, or some law that is exempted at gun shows.

Private sellers can sell to other in-state residents (hence NOT interstate commerce*, and NOT the purview of the federal government) without any kind of background check in 33 states. It's only in those 17 states that private sales are regulated by their respective states, not the federal government.

* This is why Lautenberg's perennial 'gun show loophole' bill dies in committee every single year since he started introducing it- the federal government cannot stretch 'interstate commerce' to encompass the sale of private property between two in-state residents. If one of the residents is from another state, the sale must be brokered with the assistance of an FFL (federal firearms licensee) who performs a background check.

[tridim]

5. Watch "Bowling For Colombine" again if you want to know why this is.

Apparently even a few Liberals are still afraid of the Bogeyman.

[divideandconquer]

9. Rasmussen=Republican X2 vs Gallup= Republican X 1.5

Both polling companies untrustworthy

[X_Digger]

12. and cnn? and abcnews?

Every major polling group has noticed a significant drop in support for more gun control

April 09
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/08/gun.control.poll/index.html

Now, a recent poll reveals a sudden drop -- only 39 percent of Americans now favor stricter gun laws, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll.

April 09
http://abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUnit/1089a6HotButtonIssues.pdf

Just 51 percent in this poll support the general principle of “stricter gun control laws,” about the same as last September (50 percent) and down sharply from its peak, 67 percent in mid-2000. The 48 percent now opposed to gun control is the most in polls dating to 1989, and the number “strongly” opposed, at 36 percent, its highest in that time.

Face it.. you're losing public support for feel good, do little kneejerk laws that have little, if any, effect on crime.

[benEzra]

11. Given that the usual DLC zealots were still pushing an "assault weapon" ban

until Obama finally got them to STFU after the election, it's no surprise that the Rovian "Dems'll take yer gunz" meme still survives in some minds. Fortunately, the assault-weapon fraud is now dead beyond resurrection, and the administration has made it clear that new bans are non grata, which is why it's less of an issue now than formerly.

FWIW, I wonder how many of that 39% who support new restrictions actually advocate things that are already law, but just don't realize those laws already exist (e.g., tight controls on automatic weapons, controls on armor-piercing ammunition, etc.).