AP-GfK Poll: Support for tighter gun laws ticks up

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY and EMILY SWANSON

WASHINGTON (AP) — After a steady string of mass shootings and a revival of the political fight over gun control, Americans are slightly more likely than they were two years ago to say gun laws should be made stricter, a new Associated Press-GfK poll found.

Despite the uptick in favor of tighter gun laws, Americans remain deeply divided along party, gender and geographic lines on an issue that has ricocheted into the presidential campaign. Eight in 10 Democrats favor stricter gun laws, while 6 in 10 Republicans want them left as they are or loosened.

Still, the results show the calls for tighter laws have some bipartisan appeal, with 37 percent of Republicans, including 31 percent of conservative Republicans, favoring stricter gun laws.

The new poll was taken two weeks after the shooting rampage at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, thrust the discussion of gun control into the country's attention and the presidential campaign. Polls regularly find a rise in support for tighter gun laws after such shootings — although that support often levels off as the headlines fade.

FULL story at link.


FILE - In this July 20, 2012, file photo, a row of different AR-15 style rifles are displayed for sale at the Firing-Line indoor range and gun shop in Aurora, Colo. After a steady string of mass shootings and a revival of the political fight over gun control, Americans are slightly more likely than they were two years ago, in 2013, to say gun laws should be made stricter, a new Associated Press-GfK poll found. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/252bfab88dd74e49a1bfffaafce1be9a/ap-gfk-poll-support-tighter-gun-laws-ticks

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How the AP-GfK poll on gun laws was conducted: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/fa1400b0e1dc4f96bdfda11aca5b45e1/how-ap-gfk-poll-gun-laws-was-conducted

[Lurks Often]

1. Nothing is going to happen in Congress

Anything that might be acceptable to both sides will saddled with amendments from both the anti-gun and pro-gun groups that each side will find unacceptable.

The anti-gun side will propose things like magazine capacity limits, bans om cosmetic items such as flash hiders or bayonet lugs, etc which will be unacceptable to the pro gun side.

The pro-gun side will propose things like national CCW, the elimination of the $200 tax stamp for suppressors, etc which will be unacceptable to the anti gun side.

[hack89]

2. If the president and other Democratic leaders would just focus on improved background checks

including universal background checks, they could make progress. That seems the one proposal that has the deepest bipartisan public support.

[iandhr]

3. In terms of polling...

... it all depends on how you phrase the question.


"Do you favor closing the gun show loophole to make all guns sales" gets a favorably rate in the high 80s.

Do you favor banning certain types of guns? It's much lower.


This is clip from the British sitcom "Yes Prime Minister" illustrates the point perfectly.