The Survey Says: Dems Largely Dismissive of 2A Threat

A new poll by the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research on personal freedoms and whether they are under threat reveals once again that Democrats are largely dismissive of any peril facing the Second Amendment, at the same time party leaders have been leading the charge to erode the right to keep and bear arms (RKBA).

According to The Independent, the survey revealed, “Democrats were more inclined to see a greater threat to freedom of speech, with about six in 10 believing it faces a “major threat,” compared to four in 10 independents and roughly one-third of Republicans.”

“Conversely,” The Independent added, “Republicans expressed greater concern about the right to keep and bear arms; while most Americans consider this right important, about 8 in 10 Republicans agreed, compared with 4 in 10 Democrats and 50% of independents.”

Coincidentally, Democrats and their media allies have lately been reacting positively to Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s signing of several gun control measures, almost uniformly described as “gun violence prevention legislation” (WDBJ) or “gun safety laws” (WSLS) while critics insist they won’t actually prevent violent crime or make anyone safer.

Naturally, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Gun Violence Solutions declared in its headline, “Virginia Governor Spanberger Signs Historic Gun Violence Prevention Bills into Law.”

Only the Richmond Times-Dispatch accurately described what Spanberger signed as “gun control” legislation.

But it is exactly the kind of legislative erosion of rights protected by the Second Amendment which the recent AP/NORC poll says are raising more alarms among conservatives and independents.

According to the poll, only 21 percent of Democrats think gun rights are under a major threat, while 36 percent think the Second Amendment is under a “minor” threat, and 42 percent don’t believe any threat exists.

Conversely—and this is what gun voters should keep in mind as November approaches—40 percent of Republicans say the Second Amendment is under a “major threat,” and 41 percent believe it is under a “minor threat.” Only 19 percent of Republican poll respondents think gun rights are under no threat at all.

Among Independents, 34 percent say RKBA faces a major threat, 35 percent believe it is under a “minor threat” while 28 percent do not perceive any threat, according to the AP/NORC poll.

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Translation: Democrats blithely disregard the importance of Second Amendment rights to tens of millions of their fellow citizens, and as illustrated by the actions of Democrat-controlled legislatures, the right to keep and bear arms is treated more like a government-regulated privilege.

For example, among the bills Spanberger signed, according to WDBJ, are:

• HB969 (Delegate Marcia Price), which “establishes the Virginia Gun Violence Prevention Center Workgroup to create the infrastructure to make Virginia a national leader in gun violence prevention.”
• HB217 (Delegate Dan Helmer), SB749 (Senator Saddam Salim), which “Protect Virginia families, law enforcement, and communities by prohibiting the future sale of assault-style weapons.”
• HB871 (Delegate Mark Downey), SB348 (Senator Jennifer Boysko), which “Requires safe storage of firearms to protect children and prevent theft.”

Historically, there is nothing to suggest that criminals will abide by these or any other gun control bills Spanberger signed. But it made good headline fodder for the Virginia media.

Overall, 35 percent of AP/NORC poll respondents say the right to keep and bear arms is extremely important, and 22 percent believe it is “very important.” Another 24 percent believe the RKBA is “somewhat important” while 11 percent say the Second Amendment is “not very important” and only 7 percent believe it is “not important at all.”

As noted by The Independent, “only about one-third of respondents or fewer felt these rights were secure from potential threats.”

Polling on gun rights has always been interesting. A few years ago, Gallup polled America to learn that 56 percent of U.S. adults said gun laws should be stricter, while 31 percent believed they should stay the same and 12 percent favored less strict gun laws.

Last December, Legal Reader published the results of a poll showing only 28 percent of Republicans/conservatives supported stricter laws, while 86 percent of “Democrat-leaning” people want tougher laws, further reinforcing the notion that Democrats are the party of gun control.

What all of these surveys fail to clarify is that constitutional rights are not subject to public opinion polls. Rights specifically mentioned and protected by the Constitution would only be up for grabs if the country were to hold a Constitutional Convention. The entire Bill of Rights would be on the table, like it or not.

The true value of such surveys is that they repeatedly and consistently reveal which political party is stronger on individual rights, including the Second Amendment, and which party fails that test.

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About Dave Workman

Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.