Gallop Poll: Support for Assault Weapons Ban at Record Low

[Skiprr]

I'm as dubious of poll results as anyone, but they're a fact of life and, assuming the group conducting the poll has some semblance of experience and independent objectivism (I'll never even bother to look at a politically-related poll from Bloomberg or NBC, for example), they may be indicative of at least something. I came across this one when following a link dealing with new poll results about respect for police officers, and though it worth posting.

The fewest Americans in 20 years favor making it illegal to manufacture, sell or possess semi-automatic guns known as assault rifles. Thirty-six percent now want an assault weapons ban, down from 44% in 2012 and 57% when Gallup first asked the question in 1996.

Despite my fingernails-on-blackboard aversion to "assault weapon" referring to popular semi-automatic sporting rifles, at least Gallup does clarify that they're talking about semi-autos and that the guns are "known as" rather than declaratively "are."

It is striking -- and unusual -- that fewer Democrats than ever support an assault weapons ban, since the Democratic Party has been instrumental in pushing for stricter gun laws.

However, it is worth noting that a majority of Americans still believe there should be stricter laws governing the sale of firearms, even as they are reluctant to endorse a ban on handguns and assault weapons. In general, a majority of Americans say they are dissatisfied with the nation's gun laws, furthering the complexity of this issue.

Link to the Gallup poll information: http://www.gallup.com/poll/196658/suppo ... d-low.aspx.

[AF-Odin]

If most Americans were aware of how many laws are already on the books and ignored or simply not enforced, then they might have a different perspective. If they would only enforce the law regarding a felon in possession of a firearm and impose the max penalty everytime a case came up instead of this either not being charged or the first offense plea bargained away, we might see a drop in crimes involving firearms in places like Chicago. However, these numbers do indicate some degree of understanding MAY be dawning on some folks.

[TxRVer]

It could be the general public is becoming more educated on what an "assault weapon" actually is. With that knowledge they may feel it's wrong to arbitrarily ban a gun because of the way it looks.