A new and extensive survey of American opinion by The Economist and YouGov has turned up some alarming, but not surprising, revelations including the fact that a majority of Democrats are more in favor of a government gun registry than they are about concealed carry, armed teachers and the nation’s largest gun rights organization.
As reported by the National Review, this survey – taken Feb. 25-27 from among 1,500 U.S. adults, showed that more than one-third of Democrats would do away with the Second Amendment and 21 percent of the entire population would go along with it. Eighty-two percent of Democrats support banning all semiautomatic firearms.
But there are other troubling revelations for gun owners and Second Amendment advocates.
When it comes to preventing citizens from carrying concealed sidearms in public, 65 percent of Democrats like that idea, while 34 percent of independents and only 18 percent of Republicans agree. On the other hand, 73 percent of Republicans appear to support concealed carry, along with 46 percent of independents but only 25 percent of Democrats, according to survey data.
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There has been lots of talk about arming teachers since the Parkland high school attack, and 73 percent of Republicans like the idea but only 26 percent of Democrats think this would be effective. Forty-four percent of independents think it might be effective.
Democrats overwhelmingly support the notion of the government maintaining a registry of everyone who owns a firearm, by 78 to 13 percent, with 9 percent undecided. Among Republicans, a national registry is less favorable with 42 percent supporting but only 47 percent opposing and 12 percent not sure. Independents favor a registry by a 2-to-1 margin (52-25 percent) with 22 percent not sure.
And there is no surprise about how different political persuasions feel toward the National Rifle Association. The survey shows that among Democrats, 74 percent have an unfavorable opinion of the NRA, with 63 percent having a “very” unfavorable opinion and 12 percent aren’t sure.
Among Republicans, however, the NRA gets higher marks, with 73 percent having a favorable opinion and only 16 percent an unfavorable opinion, with 11 percent not sure.
Among independents, 30 percent have a favorable view, but 41 percent have an unfavorable opinion and 30 percent aren’t sure.
These are just some of the results found in the survey, which covered all kinds of questions nine months before the 2018 mid-term elections.
