Public Believes Americans Have Right to Own Guns
Gallup results, which will surely be plastered on the front page of every newspaper and will lead off every evening newscast in the nation:
A solid majority of the U.S. public, 73%, believes the Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the rights of Americans to own guns. Twenty percent believe the amendment only guarantees the rights of state militia members to own guns.
To be honest, I would have thought the number believing it applies only to militia would be a bit higher. I know a couple of folks who espouse this view, and maybe they've convinced me that their views are more widely held than they are.
Even more surprising to me are the results from those who don't own a gun. It's certainly no shock that gun owners don't think the 2nd Amendment only applies to militias, but even non-owners think it means that individuals can own guns by more than a 2-1 majority:
I often have the feeling that a solid majority of American who don't own guns are perfectly willing to dismiss the 2nd Amendment and to basically toss gun owners under the bus. Apparently that opinion isn't quite as widespread as I have feared.
I must have got that feeling from reading the newspapers.
3 Comments
Bram said:
I never understood the "militia only" position. Besides making no sense, it doesn't seem to apply. I was in the National Guard and still had to navigate the byzantine guns laws of NJ just to buy a state-approved rifle. All of the assault weapon bans applied - even though I'm a militiaman!
I still can't buy a pistol unless I go through further paperwork and police intrusion into my personal life.
Nadnerbus said:
I live in perhaps the most anti-gun state when it comes to the laws on the books (take a guess). I've found that with the majority of people I talk to here who don't own guns, they become quite surprised to find out how intrusive and oppressive the gun laws here are. Guys more than gals, of course, but even the women, more and more a lot of the ones I talk to on the topic feel they should have the right to own a pistol to defend themselves if they need to. The biggest problem is the lack of ownership, and therefore the lack of awareness of how onerous and ridiculous the laws regarding them are. I recently started working a plumbing job with a really good guy, 63 years old, Vietnam Vet, and successfully running his own small business for decades. He was surprised and pissed off to find out that even with his vet status, he was just as screwed as the rest of us when it came to getting a concealed carry permit, or bypassing the mandatory waiting period. Again, he hadn't bought a gun since his 32 year old son was a boy, and hadn't noticed the laws going south. The media will definitely not attempt in any way to make this situation any better.
GeekLethal said:
The militia argument doesn't make sense because the militia- here to mean the National Guard- has its own weapons, which it issues to soldiers as appropriate.
Any Guardsmen take their issue weapons home lately after drill?