Voters in New York state supposedly say, by 76% to 14%, that there should be a new state law requiring a permit to buy a semi-automatic rifle...a law that includes a minimum age of 21, passing a background check, and taking a safety course.
At 79% to 15%, the poll showed that voters want to see the Supreme Court uphold New York’s existing, decades-old law requiring a license to carry a concealed handgun.
Whew. I've known a number of people from New York state who did not live in the major urban areas. A lot of them hunters and sport shooters. It's very difficult for me to believe that the majority of people polled were not from New York City.“More than three-quarters of voters think the new law – requiring a permit to obtain a semi-automatic rifle going forward – will be good for New York, including at least 65% of every demographic group. It’s worth noting that 67% of Republicans and 73% of gun owners (about one-fifth of all voters) think the law will be good,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg.
“Likewise, more than three-quarters of voters want the Supreme Court to uphold New York’s decades-old law requiring a license to carry a concealed handgun, including 72% of gun owners and 79% of Republicans (even more than the 77% of independents),” Greenberg said. “By a smaller, 58-24% margin, voters say outlawing body or armored vests except for law enforcement will be good for the state. Two-thirds of Democrats support the ban, as do 53% of independents, 50% of Republicans, and 54% of gun owners.”
Check the methodology described at the bottom of the page linked above. They did not describe geographic separation of the 802 respondents, but they did note that selection was "weighted to reflect known population patterns." And, interestingly, telephone calls were "initiated by asking for the youngest person in the household."