BELLEVUE, WA – A new NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist poll released Wednesday shows an “alarming disregard by Democrats for the Second Amendment,” the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said.
The poll, conducted May 15-18, revealed that “88 percent of Democrats think reining in gun violence is more important than protecting gun rights, while 67 percent of Republicans say protecting gun rights is more important,” according to a report in The Hill.
Troubling news indeed. An NPR/PBS state-affiliated media poll conducted by Marist shows sampled Democrats more than willing to trade their liberty for perceived security. Alan Gottlieb has this over at CCRKBA:
We’ll get back to Gottlieb’s press release, but first let’s look at some troubling findings from the Marist Poll. Keep in mind that half of the population is smarter than average. And conversely, half are, well, less gifted.
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60% of Americans, including four in ten who own guns, think it is more important to control gun violence than to protect gun rights (38%). Democrats (88%) overwhelmingly agree. 55% of independents say the same. While 67% of Republicans think it is more important to protect gun rights, 32% of the GOP say controlling gun violence should be the priority.
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More than one in four Americans (27%) say banning the sale of semi-automatic assault weapons would be the most impactful in reducing gun violence in the United States. 17% think mental health screenings for all gun buyers would make the most difference. Background checks for gun purchases at gun shows and other private sales (13%), red flag laws (12%), and allowing teachers to carry guns in the classroom (10%) follow. A notable 20% of Americans do not think any of these options would have an impact.
A quarter of people think banning the most popular and effective guns for self-defense would reduce gang violence the most in America? 17% think we should require mental health screenings?
What if we required mental health screenings before voting? Or going to church?
The good news is that 3/4 of Americans are wise enough to know that banning America’s favorite rifle will do nothing to stop bad people, including gang members, terrorists, criminals and other evil-doers from committing heinous acts.
Back to Gottlieb:
“This is a stunning revelation,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “While we have always advocated for safer communities and have supported citizen initiatives aimed at locking up criminals, it is appalling that such an overwhelming percentage of Democrats are so willing to throw the Second Amendment under a bus to achieve some false sense of security.”
More than 25 years ago, Gottlieb championed both “Three Strikes” and “Hard Time for Armed Crime” initiatives, which received massive public support in Washington State and then became popular nationwide.
“The idea of putting violent, repeat offenders in prison has always made more sense than penalizing law-abiding citizens who only want to exercise their constitutional rights,” he observed. “The notion that you are somehow going to discourage criminals by disarming their intended victims isn’t just foolish, it’s downright crazy.
“Constitutional rights are not something you vote on,” Gottlieb continued, “nor do you casually give them up in hopes of creating some Utopian fantasy. If criminals know people do not have the means to fight back, they will exploit the situation. That’s why we fight so hard, day after day, to protect the right that makes it possible for us to protect our families, homes and communities.”
Gottlieb said he is equally disappointed that many Independents and even some Republican poll respondents were also willing to prioritize controlling crime over protecting individual rights.
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