Zogby: They're not just for Democrats anymore! (I don't think they ever were, but the title sounded good. So no offense to the Zogby guys)
Anyways, on to the bad news! (for
Zogby International has conducted the first installment of its 2004 Zogby Values Poll, surveying 1,200 voters nationwide on issues that included firearms and hunting. Working with the Tower Center for Political Studies at Southern Methodist University and the O`Leary Report, Zogby`s questions interestingly examine differences in thinking between people living in the states that voted for George Bush in 2000 (Red states) and Al Gore (Blue states).
The survey examined how Americans feel about Right-to-Carry laws, with the pollster asking: "Currently 36 states have laws that allow residents to qualify for a permit to carry a firearm to protect themselves if they pass a background check, if they participate in firearms training and pay a fee to cover administrative costs. Do you feel this is a good law or a bad law?"
Voters overwhelming favor these self-protection laws by a margin of 79% to 18%. Right-to-Carry drew better than 70% support in every demographic group, with even non-gun owners indicating their backing by 73% to 23%.
Communists, you have a problem. You can't take over a country when most of the people have the means to resist you, can you? It's pretty hard to implement a system that takes away private property when the person who owns said property can blow you away.
More importantly, I think this shows that the American public realizes that people have the right to defend their life and home through any means possible. People understand that criminals don't care about anti-gun laws, background checks, or any of the other gun-control measures put in place. A gun in the hands of a private citizen is the failsafe, if you will. It's the last measure when all other measures fail, and unfortunately those other measures fail with alarming regularity.
Voters were asked: "Do you agree or disagree that American firearm manufacturers who sell a legal product that is not defective should be allowed to be sued if a criminal uses their products in a crime?"
Voters in both Red and Blue states strongly oppose such lawsuits - 74% of the former and 72% of the latter. In fact, a majority in every demographic group opposed the lawsuits; the most strongly opposed, at 83%, were current members of the military and their families.
If you hit your thumb with a hammer, do you sue the hammer company? If you stub your toe on a table, do you sue the table company? If you drive your car off of a cliff, do you sue the car company? Then why the hell would you sue a gun manufacturer for the use of a gun? It's not the gun that commits a crime, it's the person HOLDING the gun! Once again, people see that.
The survey also asked: "Which of the following two statements regarding gun control comes closer to your own opinion? Statement A: There needs to be new and tougher gun control legislation to help in the fight against gun crime; Statement B: There are enough laws on the books. What is needed is better enforcement of current laws regarding gun control."
By a better than two-to-one margin - 66% to 31% - voters nationwide agreed with Statement B. Only self-identified liberals called for more laws, by a 53% to 44% margin. Moderates solidly favored better enforcement, 62% to 34%.
Once again, criminals DO NOT FOLLOW THE LAW! You could come out with a law that says all gun owners have to wear orange hats, and law abiding citizens would be easily identified. Criminals would continue to ignore the law and commit crimes! Every new law restricts a private citizen, while the criminal just ignores it. How many gun laws are on the books now? I've heard the number 20,000 bandied about, and I wouldn't doubt it a bit. How much good are those laws doing? Zilch.
Voters were asked: "Do you agree the NRA is right to fight gun control on both the federal and state levels?" NRA`s support stood at 64%, with a party affiliation breakdown showing Democrats siding with NRA 54% to 42%, and Republicans 73% to 22%.
You think you're going to see this particular poll in the Mass Media? I'll bet anyone $5.00 and a pound of smoked salmon that this piece is buried as far in the back as possible. You show me a local paper with this poll on the front page, and I'll send you the salmon and a check.
More and more people are realizing that a gun is an intert object, capable of doing nothing on it's own. It's a piece of metal and plastic that is only activated when someone uses it. If you want to control crime, you have to control the people who commit the crimes. Restricting private citizens from owning firearms doesn't do you one bit of good. All you do is turn that person into a victim.
I'm not a victim, and I refuse to be turned into one.
Hat tip to Kim du Toit.
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