By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
A new Rasmussen survey on gun control reveals support for stricter laws has declined while there has been a slight increase in the number of people who think stronger enforcement of existing gun laws will reduce violent crime.
The other important revelation is not surprising at all. An overwhelming majority of Democrats (79%) think the country needs stricter gun laws, and 65 percent say they would vote for a congressional candidate who promises to “completely ban semi-automatic and assault type weapons.”
The head of a national grassroots gun rights organization says the timing of this survey is perfect.
Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, issued a statement Tuesday noting, “Ten weeks before the midterm elections is a good time for these distinctions to be revealed by a national poll.”
“The timing of this Rasmussen survey is important and not just because of the looming midterm elections,” Gottlieb observed, “but also because the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in two consolidated cases challenging bans on so-called ‘assault weapons’ in the upcoming term, which begins in October. Both cases were brought by our sister organization, the Second Amendment Foundation, known as Viramontes v. Cook County in Illinois and Grant v. Higgins in Connecticut and we will be submitting an amicus brief.”
According to the Rasmussen poll, 52 percent of respondents say stricter enforcement of existing gun control laws would do more to reduce gun-related crime, while only 34 percent believe new gun control laws are necessary. The remaining 14 percent aren’t sure.
But it is clear Democrats remain “the party of gun control,” because only 25 percent of Democrats would not vote for a congressional candidate who declares banning modern semiautomatic rifles is part of his/her platform. Only 29 percent of Republicans think the country needs tougher gun laws, while 44 percent of Independents think so. Sixty-two percent of Republicans and 47 percent of Independents don’t believe stricter laws are the answer, but only 23 percent of Democrats agree with that position.
“Such surveys are important because they offer some guidance to voters about which candidates better represent their beliefs on important issues, especially the Second Amendment,” Gottlieb stated. “But it is also important that we keep in perspective the fact that constitutionally-protected fundamental rights are not now, and never should be, subject to the results of public opinion polls. Rights guaranteed by the Constitution are special, and recent Supreme Court rulings make it clear that the Second Amendment is not a second-class right.”
The Rasmussen poll also said significantly more women voters (53%) than men (43%) say the United States needs stricter gun control laws.
The survey of 1,087 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on Aug. 13 and 16-17 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
