Majority supports proposed gun control measures

[mojo84]

Your thoughts?

http://foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/22/ ... -measures/

[chasfm11]

Too many people are swayed by whatever the media is telling them. The media is overwhelmingly anti-gun and I think that it is reflected in the polls.

That said, I do believe that a majority of American citizens have given up on individual rights, including the 2nd Amendment and are swallowing the Nanny State hook, line and sinker.

[mr surveyor]

a national poll of 1002 respondents?

I'd say the margin of error is more like 30% rather than 3%.

[baldeagle]

Your thoughts?

http://foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/22/ ... -measures/

It's hard for me to believe that mental health checks has less support than background checks, and all the numbers seem excessively high to me.

[gthaustex]

The breakdown of the numbers in the actual poll is telling. I do not place faith in the random sample of voters. The questions break down pretty well along party lines.

For instance -
Most likely thing to reduce gun violence -
Democrats - Most in favor of stricter gun control
Republicans - most in favor of better parenting

"Assault" weapons ban -
Democrats - in favor 2 to 1
Republicans - against 2 to 1

The list goes on. Dems favoring big brother govt. control. Repubs favoring more individual liberties. Independents were mainly in agreement with republicans, although not by as large a margin. The way the questions are worded also affects the results.

Unfortunately most people, including those in this poll don't see the dangers in "universal registration" even though it has never ended well in past history. I fear that will be the "reasonable" compromise made by conservatives in the house and senate.

[A-R]

The entire point of the Bill of Rights is to protect the rights of the minority from the whims of the majority. Therefore I don't give a spent case about the outcome of some asinine poll of "the majority of Americans", who later probably also "voted" for their favorite televised singer, dancer, or game show "survivalist".

[mr surveyor]

The entire point of the Bill of Rights is to protect the rights of the minority from the whims of the majority. Therefore I don't give a spent case about the outcome of some asinine poll of "the majority of Americans", who later probably also "voted" for their favorite televised singer, dancer, or game show "survivalist".

ditto

[GrillKing]

The entire point of the Bill of Rights is to protect the rights of the minority from the whims of the majority. Therefore I don't give a spent case about the outcome of some asinine poll of "the majority of Americans", who later probably also "voted" for their favorite televised singer, dancer, or game show "survivalist".

ditto

Double ditto.

[RPB]

a national poll of 1002 respondents?

I'd say the margin of error is more like 30% rather than 3%.

But I think you are being too generous
I made an "A" in Statistics in College, pointed out errors in the Textbook, and showed the Professor shorter quicker ways to do things ... I worked in the Audio Visual Dept of the University and ther Prof asked my boss if I used to work in a job as a statistician prior to returning to college ( I was older than the average student)

sadly, people blindly trust "polls"
but...

Amused by which lake they fish in to catch what results

Overwhelming Majority of Gun Owners Oppose Universal Background Checks
http://gunowners.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"In an ongoing poll conducted of its membership..."

When I take an exit poll of those leaving Neiman Marcos, results vary from when I poll people leaving Goodwill .... hmmm

The Fox News poll is based on landline and cell phone interviews with 1,002 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from March 17 to March 19.

What time of day did they call? While hubby was at work during the soap opera?
Only polling registered voters? both alive and deceased ones?



but ....
Don't be fooled
WHO IS ....
Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw

FOX News uses for profit corporate pollsters to misinform
http://www.dailypaul.com/node/180660" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Fox News posted a ridiculous article claiming that Herman Cain is now in the top tier. This is corrupt poll that was conducted under false and misleading pretenses. Let’s take a look at the pollsters, Shall we?

"The Fox News Poll is conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R)". ....

[mojo84]

Part of my interest in this poll is that it is being promoted by Fox News. Is Fox moving to the left or is it already there?

I fully understand if you want to catch sharks, your chances are better by fishing in saltwater.

[poppo]

It's hard for me to believe that mental health checks has less support than background checks, and all the numbers seem excessively high to me.

Actually I would hope it would have less support. What is a "mental health check" anyway? Someone who has taken an anti-depressant once in a while? Without a definitive definition, it could mean anything. And I think that even those who support regular background checks, feel it's too vague.

[Jeff B.]

The construction of the poll questions, as well as the methods used to poll the public can be done in such a manner that the pollster can literally predict the outcome with a very high degree of certainty. That knife cuts both ways, but, IMO is used a great deal more frequently by those seeking to justify their agenda to restrict and infringe on Second Amendment Rights.

I've often wondered if many of the "low information" voters out there literally take their opinions from the polls and and commentary disguised as news in the MSM. It's pretty distressing to hear some of these people attempt to speak on an issue and reveal themselves to be extremely ignorant at best and truly stupid at worst. Further, these same people have as much impact, in theory as any one of us on topics that are extremely important to individual rights and the future of the country.

To be clear on my feelings regarding voting, I think that you should have to meet a couple of criteria to be allowed to vote;

- Be a net positive tax payer OR a service member or honorably discharged/retired veteran.
- Pass a test that includes basic civics questions and a knowledge of your current representation in government (who they are).

Fantasy, I know, but I can dream, can't I?

Jeff B.

[G26ster]

I have some polls I'd like to see:

1. Would you support a Universal Background Check that:

a) Made your health records available to the local, state, and federal government?
b) Made the check required to gift, sell, or leave your firearms collection to your children?
c) Neither of the above

2. Would you support a ban on weapons that was based on:

a) Appearance?
b) The weapons most used in homicides?
c) None of the above

3. If you had to defend yourself and your family against a home invasion, once the invaders are inside your home, would you rather:

a) Call 911 and wait?
b) Have a pistol or rifle with a so-called high capacity magazine (30 rounds)?
c) Have a pistol or rifle with a 7 or 10 round magazine?
d) Have a double barreled shotgun with 2 rounds?

4. To protect your children at school, would you rather have:

a) Armed trained security officers at each school?
b) More "No Guns" signs?

Just a few suggestions we'll never see

[baldeagle]

For my money there is no more reliable pollster than Rasmussen. This shows you how wildly the results vary - http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... andgun_ban" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

All these headlines are on this same page:

52% Want More Gun Control Laws; 10% Favor Handgun Ban
59% Still Think Tougher Gun Control Laws Likely
Americans Strongly Support Tougher Requirements for Gun Owners
43% Rate Obama’s Handling of Gun Control as Good or Excellent
22% See More Gun Control As Best Curb to Mass Murders
57% Think Enforcing Current Gun Laws More Important Than Creating New Laws
Voters Rate Spending, Job Creation Higher in Importance Than Gun Control

Good luck making sense of all that. The results of a poll depend, in large part, on how the questions are asked.

Here's the questions for the first poll mentioned above:
1* Does the United States need stricter gun control laws?

2* Should there be a ban on the purchase of semi-automatic and assault type weapons?

3* Should there be a complete ban on handguns in the United States?

4* Would you feel safer moving to a neighborhood where nobody was allowed to own a gun or a neighborhood where you could have a gun for your own protection?

Notice that these are all questions that require a yes or no answer but don't offer an alternative. The wording is also important. For example, the last question is completely different if you simply drop the last four words.
Would you feel safer moving to a neighborhood where nobody was allowed to own a gun or a neighborhood where you could have a gun?

The second thing that affects a poll is the makeup of the persons questioned. What percent were Democrat? Independent? Republican? Were they registered voters? Likely voters? Plain old Americans?

Pollsters and politicians love to take the results of polls that support their position and extrapolate them to speak for the entire population, even though the questions, the wording of the questions and the makeup of the persons polled determines the results - often in advance of the poll even being taken.

[VMI77]

The entire point of the Bill of Rights is to protect the rights of the minority from the whims of the majority. Therefore I don't give a spent case about the outcome of some asinine poll of "the majority of Americans", who later probably also "voted" for their favorite televised singer, dancer, or game show "survivalist".

Yep. There is a flip-side to this poll however, in that it claims 48% of voter's live in a household where someone owns a gun --not that I necessarily believe the numbers in this poll. Still, that would be a big hurdle for gun bans and confiscation. They got gun bans passed in places like the UK because a small minority of the population owned guns. Of course, on the same page there is another poll that says 48% approve of Obama, so we've got a pretty big hurdle to clear ourselves.