U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Thirty-five percent of American gun owners “say someone in the household has purchased a gun within the past year,” according to a new Rasmussen survey that also revealed the surge began in March 2020 and by October, “22% of gun-owning households said they’d purchased another gun since anti-police protests began after the death of George Floyd.”
Recent surveys also show more Americans think existing gun control laws should be enforced than those who want new laws enacted.
Two gun rights groups that have been blitzing the airwaves with advertising think their efforts are helping change the landscape. The Second Amendment Foundation and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms have been advertising heavily on more than a dozen networks and channels for the past two months.
The SAF campaign is pushing its ‘2nd Amendment First Responder’ message in which viewers are being asked to text “PROTECT2A” to 474747.
Meanwhile, the CCRKBA is continuing its popular “SAVE2A” campaign, in which viewers are advised to text “SAVE2A” to 474747.
“Our combined campaigns have obviously been working,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb. “Recent polling by three different groups—McLaughlin, Rasmussen and the Washington Post/ABC News surveys—shows public opinion has been strongly in favor of protecting Second Amendment rights, and enforcing existing laws instead of passing new ones.” Gottlieb also chairs CCRKBA.
According to Rasmussen’s survey, the FBI reported “nearly 40 million background checks for firearms purchases in 2020, an increase of almost 11 million from 2019. The surge of gun sales has contributed to a widespread shortage of ammunition.”
One not-so-surprising revelation from the Rasmussen poll was that “A majority of Republicans (55%) now say they live in gun-owning households, compared to 35% of Democrats and 32% of those not affiliated with either major party.”
Last November, Gallup updated a 2019 survey on gun ownership, reporting, “Thirty-two percent of U.S. adults say they personally own a gun, while a larger percentage, 44%, report living in a gun household.”
Against this backdrop, Joe Biden is continuing his gun control push while USA Today fact-checkers tried to provide some cover for the anti-gun president by saying the National Rifle Association “overstated” Biden’s recent remarks about guns. The NRA, however, is sticking to its guns, reportedly sending the newspaper an email stating, “The post stands as it is written. Joe Biden, the President of the United States, has repeatedly said that ‘no one NEEDS an AR-15’ – America’s most popular rifle, and that no one needs an appropriate amount of ammunition to defend themselves, their loved ones, and their communities.”
The message apparently came from Billy McLaughlin, identified as NRA digital director.
USA Today acknowledged that during his recent address to Congress, Biden stated, “We need a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Don’t tell me it can’t be done.”
Considering changes in recent polling data, it could be a challenge for the Biden-Harris administration to ban so-called “assault weapons.”
Rasmussen conducted its latest poll May 3-4. According to a report at RT.com, the FBI said last year’s background checks for gun purchases outpaced the 2019 figures by 40 percent.
“Through the first four months of 2021, nearly 16 million background checks were performed, which was up 31% from 2020’s blistering pace and exceeded full-year totals from as recently as 2010,” RT.com noted.
Rasmussen’s report said, “Overall, 39% of Americans say they live in gun-owning households, while 45% say no one in their household owns guns. Sixteen percent (16%) are not sure.”
But is that accurate? At least some American gun owners are wary about disclosing whether they own firearms, and Rasmussen’s pollsters would have no way of knowing whether a respondent is being candid or deceptive. Earlier this year, some industry observers estimated that at least 8 million new gun owners were added to the rolls last year, many who had never before even considered owning a gun.
However, with civil unrest combined with demands to cut police services and reduce the size of police departments, it looks like those people concluded they would be responsible for their own protection. Their sentiments may be spot on, considering the reports of shootings in various locations around the country over the Mother’s Day weekend.
Six people were killed at a Mother’s Day gathering in Colorado Springs.
Police were looking for a gunman who wounded people in New York City’s Times Square.
Two men were murdered in Tacoma, Washington in a hail of bullets.
And in Chicago, 27 people were shot including five who were killed.
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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.
