Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

New York Times: Gun Control Less Popular Than Advertised

Monday, June 6, 2022

New York Times: Gun Control Less Popular Than Advertised

By now you’ve seen the claim countless times. According to gun control advocates and their media lapdogs, some 90-percent of Americans support the criminalization of private firearm transfers – misleadingly termed by its proponents as “universal background checks.” In a rare instance of journalistic integrity, the New York Times has published an article debunking this bogus gun control talking point.

Titled, “Voters Say They Want Gun Control. Their Votes Say Something Different,” the June 3 article by Nate Cohn explains that while some polling may show significant support for the criminalization of private transfers, voter behavior makes clear that Americans are divided on the policy. Cohn begins,

It’s one of the most puzzling questions for Democrats in American politics: Why is the political system so unresponsive to gun violence? Expanded background checks routinely receive more than 80 percent or 90 percent support in polling. Yet gun control legislation usually gets stymied in Washington and Republicans never seem to pay a political price for their opposition.

After listing some of the usual explanations for this reality, Cohn notes, “But there’s another possibility, one that might be the most sobering of all for gun control supporters: Their problem could also be the voters, not just politicians or special interests.”

The author then proceeds to point out that in every instance where so-called “universal background checks” appeared on the ballot, the policy wildly underperformed expectations based on polling.

For instance, based on survey data, 86-percent of Nevadans supposedly supported the criminalization of private transfers. However, when Nevadans went to the polls in 2016 to vote on the policy, the measure barely passed with 50.45-percent of the vote.

A similar story played out in Maine. According to the New York Times item, 83-percent of Mainers were expected to support a background check ballot measure in 2016. On election day Maine residents voted the policy down, with 52-percent opposing the measure. Even in deep blue states like Washington and California, private transfer ballot measures have underperformed expectations by about 20-30 percent.

Cohn goes on to point out,

The usual theories for America’s conservative gun politics do not explain the poor showings. The supporters of the initiatives outspent the all-powerful gun lobby. All manner of voters, not just single-issue voters or politicians, got an equal say. The Senate was not to blame; indeed, the results suggested that a national referendum on background checks would have lost.

This isn’t the first instance where the New York Times has attempted to bring some much-needed reality to the gun control debate. In 2018, the New York Times published a piece titled, “Support for Gun Control Seems Strong. But It May Be Softer Than It Looks.”

The author of that piece, Margot Sanger-Katz, noted, “While a wide range of gun control laws appear popular in polls, support may soften once details emerge and they’re subjected to a robust political debate.” Addressing the Maine anti-gun initiative, Sanger-Katz wrote,

David Farmer, who led the Maine effort for universal background checks in 2016, said that supporters of gun rights can be particularly persuasive once a concrete proposal is unveiled. In Maine, polling support for the measure declined between introduction and the final vote, before failing, 52-48.

This suggests that as ignorance recedes, so does support for gun control.

Despite the New York Times and NRA-ILA’s attempts to educate the public on this topic, much of the mainstream press continues to parrot the gun control activist line on background check support. Even so-called “fact checkers” assiduously dismiss the actual votes cast for and against this policy in favor of the debunked polling.

Mere ignorance plays a large role in inaccurate reporting on gun issues. However, given most of the mainstream media’s continued intransigence on this topic in the face of overwhelming data, those who continue to claim there is near-universal support for criminalizing private firearm transfers reveal themselves to be unprincipled political activists rather than journalists.

TRENDING NOW
Florida: House Passes Constitutional Carry

Friday, March 24, 2023

Florida: House Passes Constitutional Carry

Today, the House voted 76-32 to pass House Bill 543, the constitutional carry bill.

Updates to ATF Final Rule on Stabilizing Braces

News  

Monday, January 30, 2023

Updates to ATF Final Rule on Stabilizing Braces

On Monday, January 30, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) published the final Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached “Stabilizing Braces” rule for public inspection in the federal register.

Biden’s Executive Order Targeting Gun Ownership

News  

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Biden’s Executive Order Targeting Gun Ownership

On Tuesday, Joe Biden issued an executive order on gun control that could accurately be described as a mile wide and an inch deep.

Florida: Senate’s Constitutional Carry Passes Committee

Thursday, March 9, 2023

Florida: Senate’s Constitutional Carry Passes Committee

Today, the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee voted 11-6 to approve Senate Bill 150, constitutional carry, with an amendment aligning the language with the House’s version. It will now go to the full Senate for further consideration.

Florida: 2023 Session Convened, Senate Committee Hearing Constitutional Carry

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Florida: 2023 Session Convened, Senate Committee Hearing Constitutional Carry

Yesterday, March 7th, the Florida Legislature began the 2023 legislative session. Tomorrow, at 9:00AM, the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee will hear Senate Bill 150, the Senate’s constitutional carry bill.

Washington: Senate Committee Hearing California-Style Gun Ban & Waiting Period Bills

Friday, March 17, 2023

Washington: Senate Committee Hearing California-Style Gun Ban & Waiting Period Bills

On March 23rd, at 8:00AM, the Senate Committee on Law & Justice will hear House Bill 1240, a comprehensive gun ban bill, and House Bill 1143, to impose a waiting period and training mandate for acquiring ...

Michigan: House to Consider Requiring Firearms Be Made Unavailable for Self-Defense

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Michigan: House to Consider Requiring Firearms Be Made Unavailable for Self-Defense

As early as tonight, the House may bring to the floor a bill package to impose a one-size-fits-all firearm storage requirement to make them unavailable for self-defense.

Michigan: Senate Sends Anti-Gun Bills to Governor

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Michigan: Senate Sends Anti-Gun Bills to Governor

Today, the Senate voted to concur with the House on Senate Bills 79, 80, 81, and 82, which the House passed last night, to impose a one-size-fits-all firearm storage requirement to make them unavailable for self-defense. 

Columnist thinks gun owners can be shamed out of their rights

News  

Monday, March 20, 2023

Columnist thinks gun owners can be shamed out of their rights

At least one of the joyless scolds that predominate in gun control circles thinks they’ve stumbled onto a novel anti-gun tactic. According to Colorado Newsline Editor Quentin Young, gun control supporters should try to shame gun ...

Florida: House Judiciary Passes Constitutional Carry

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Florida: House Judiciary Passes Constitutional Carry

Today, the House Judiciary Committee voted 17-6 to advance House Bill 543, the constitutional carry bill. It will now go to the House floor for debate.

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.