MSN-Zogby Poll - Americans Speak on Gun Control

[Township75]

What are people outside of DU thinking about gun control AFTER the VT shooting? Zogby took a look:


When madmen go on killing sprees in America, they use guns. Inevitably, in the aftermath, the arguments about gun control begin. But a poll conducted in the days after the Virginia Tech massacre found that the majority of Americans don't fully align themselves with either the pro- or anti-gun arguments.

The MSN-Zogby poll found that 59 percent of Americans do not believe stricter gun control policies would have prevented Cho Seung-Hui from killing 32 people and then himself in the worst mass murder in America's history. The poll found that only 36 percent of those polled believe stronger gun control could have prevented the shootings.

However, arming more Americans with guns is not the answer either, most people say. Slightly more than half of those polled—54 percent—say that more guns would not stop killing sprees. Thirty-eight percent believe a better-armed populace could help prevent such mayhem. (The interactive survey of 1,336 adults nationwide was conducted April 17-18, 2007, and carries a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percentage points.)

SNIP
On the question of arming more Americans, political affiliation led to a stark contrast in opinions. Eighty-nine percent of Democrats do not think more guns would avert tragedies like at Virginia Tech, while only 24 percent of Republicans share that view. Independents are evenly split on that issue. Men are more likely than women to believe that more armed Americans is a viable deterrent. The divide between urban and rural America is large: 62 percent of city dwellers say that arming more Americans would not help prevent such tragedies, while nearly half of rural Americans, 49 percent, believe it would.


http://men.msn.com/articlepollgc.aspx?cp-documentid=4732850&page=1

[MrModerate]

1. We're frakkin' doomed. 'Murricans just luuuuve their guns . . .

And will never give them up until someone pries their cold dead hands from around 'em.

Which can easily be arranged the next time someone in their neighborhood who happens to be faster on the trigger goes postal.

There have been many delusions that take hold of the American psyche and never let go, but this gun fetish is one of the most damaging. Gives me the creeps.

[mudesi]

2. The dumbing down of America

Ignorance is a horrible thing.

[A Simple Game]

3. Logically it would seem that 59% of the American people

should also feel that getting rid of most of the traffic laws would not result in more car accidents.

[michreject]

4. Waiting on BB to reply..... .......nt

[Honeycombe8]

5. Now isn't the time for Dems to press gun issues, IMO.

If the goal is to get more Dems in Congress, the Dems can't press gun issues. It's that simple. The new Congressmen, for one thing, came from red or reddish states. Their constituents are pro-NRA. They got elected on the basis of being "tough" gun-toting Dems.

So the Dems in Congress don't have the votes for gun issues. And Americans won't vote more into Congress, if they think the Dems are going to take what they see as their means of protection away.

Gotta fight the battles that can be won.