Less than two weeks after a nationwide survey by the McLaughlin group found a majority of American voters favor enforcing existing gun laws over passing new ones, Rasmussen has released the results of a similar poll that arrived at a similar conclusion.
According to Rasmussen, “65% of Likely U.S. Voters say the country needs stricter enforcement of existing gun control laws. Twenty-seven percent (27%) disagree.”
Earlier this month, the McLaughlin survey, done for the Second Amendment Foundation, showed 52.2 percent of the public thinks better enforcement of existing gun laws is the right approach to reducing violent crime, and 55.5 percent want politicians to focus on current laws rather than enact more laws (36.1%). McLaughlin also found the majority does not like the idea of regulating firearms by executive action.
The Rasmussen survey of 1,000 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on April 21-22. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
Rasmussen noted “The consensus in favor of stricter enforcement is solid across racial lines. Fifty-two percent (52%) of whites, 50% of black voters and 49% of other racial minorities believe stricter enforcement of existing laws would do more to reduce gun violence than passing new gun control laws.”
The numbers add up to a second rebuke of Biden-Harris administration efforts to push new gun control measures, along with efforts by Capitol Hill anti-gunners to advance more legislation dealing with background checks initially. The House has not taken any action on H.R. 127, introduced by Houston Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee. It is considered an extremist bill containing all kinds of restrictions including psychological testing for would-be gun owners.
Not surprisingly, Rasmussen’s new survey found “Democrats are substantially more in favor of gun control than other voters. Seventy-six percent (76%) of Democratic voters say the United States needs stricter gun control laws, a belief shared by only 25% of Republicans and 41% of voters not affiliated with either major party.”
For decades, Democrats have increasingly been recognized as “the party of gun control,” and with Joe Biden in the White House calling for a ban on so-called “assault weapons,” they are now called the “party of gun confiscation.”
Another interesting revelation from Rasmussen is that “44% of voters say the media give too much coverage to such violence, while 25% say the media doesn’t cover gun violence enough. Twenty-six percent (26%) say the amount of media coverage of gun-related violence is about right.
“Republicans (64%) are more likely than Democrats (20%) or unaffiliated voters (51%) to say the news media give too much coverage to gun violence,” Rasmussen added.
“Among voters who believe the news media give too much coverage to gun violence,” Rasmussen said, “74% say the United States does not need stricter gun control laws. Conversely, among voters who say stricter gun control laws are needed, 78% say the news media don’t give enough coverage to gun violence.”
Second Amendment activists are working to remove the term “gun violence” from news reports, arguing that guns are demonized unlike other murder weapons (knives or blunt instruments).
RELATED:
New Poll: Majority of Voters Would Support Pro-2A Congressional Candidates
