This Week in the Mercury
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Politics / Crime New Poll: Americans Overwhelmingly Support Stricter Gun Laws
Posted by Goldy on Thu, Dec 20, 2012 at 1:59 PM
A new Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey conducted on behalf of Daily Kos and SEIU has found strong support for stricter gun laws, spanning partisan and geographic lines. An overwhelming 92 percent of respondents support requiring a criminal background check before all gun purchases, and at least 63 percent support banning the sale of both assault rifles and large capacity ammunition magazines... including a majority of both Republicans and gun owners!
The survey of 1,000 registered voters was conducted December 18-19, and has a ±3.1% margin of error. It should also be noted that gun owners appear to be substantially overrepresented in the sample, so support for these reforms is likely somewhat stronger.
"Do you think assault weapons are necessary for hunting, or not?" Only 18 percent of respondents say yes, including only 27 percent of hunters.
Yes, this is a poll taken in the immediate wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre; no doubt support for such reforms will gradually fade a bit along with the sense of pain and urgency. Which is all the more reason for lawmakers to act now, both at the state and federal level, while public support is at its highest and the powerful gun lobby is most vulnerable.
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