Russia’s invasion of Ukraine one month ago has stirred strong support for the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, according to the results of a new survey by McLaughlin & Associates, the nationally-known polling firm.
According to the Second Amendment Foundation, which commissioned the McLaughlin poll, 66.1 percent of respondents agreed with the following statement: “When you see what is going on with Vladimir Putin and Russia’s military invasion of the Ukraine, it is more important than ever for Americans to defend their 2nd Amendment Constitutional freedoms for law-abiding citizens to continue to have the right to own guns for their personal protection.”
SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb said in a statement announcing the survey results, “This should send a message to the Biden administration that Americans by a large majority fully understand the Second Amendment is about defending liberty and not about duck or deer hunting. The new McLaughlin data shows how out-of-touch Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats are about the right to keep and bear arms.”
He said people watching the nightly news covering the Ukraine invasion are “more protective of their constitutional rights than ever.”
There have been news reports showing Ukraine authorities handing out weapons to civilians for the common defense. Such scenes remind U.S. citizens that millions of people already have guns and ammunition, thanks to the Second Amendment.
Veteran pollster Jim McLaughlin observed, “Unfortunately, Americans are seeing first hand through Vladimir Putin’s brutal, military invasion of the Ukraine the importance of our cherished Second Amendment rights. The brave Ukrainian citizens have been able to thwart Putin’s military aggression by arming themselves against the Russian invaders. Americans clearly associate the importance of their Second Amendment rights with maintaining a safe, free and democratic nation.”
The survey was conducted among 1,000 likely voters across the country March 17-22.
The McLaughlin survey was released coincidentally with the signing ceremony for three pieces of gun control legislation in Washington state, where SAF is headquartered. Anti-gun Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee signed the measures, which included one bill banning manufacture, sale, purchase and importation of ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. The new law will take effect in July, but Gottlieb said SAF is preparing to challenge the ban in court. Thirty-round magazines are standard with the kinds of firearms handed out to private citizens by the Ukraine government in the past month since Russia invaded that nation.
Another question in the survey revealed more people oppose bans on semi-automatic rifles and 9mm pistols than support them, according to the gun rights organization.
