I don’t think I’m telling you anything you don’t already know when I say that gun control has been an abject failure when it comes to stopping violent criminals from preying on law-abiding citizens. After all, your understanding of this axiom is likely a large part of why you joined NRA.
But what may be news to you is that so many of your fellow Americans actually understand this, too.
A Gallup poll from last November shows that the general public’s support for making “the laws covering the sale of firearms …more strict” has fallen to its lowest level in nearly a decade. And, considering so many Americans are not even aware of how strict gun laws already are—present company excluded—that’s pretty big news.
Anti-gun extremists—with support from gun-banning billionaires and the legacy media—have been trying to convince average Americans that the literally thousands of gun-control laws currently on the books simply don’t exist. They make outrageous claims, like in 2015, when President Obama said it was easier to buy a gun in some neighborhoods than it was to buy a book or fresh vegetables.
More recently, Joe Biden’s failed nominee to head the ATF, David Chipman, claimed it was easier to buy a gun than it was to buy a beer in “much of America.”
Sadly, there are some people who will simply believe these blatant lies designed to support any and all forms of gun control. But the Gallup poll is at least a promising indication that most Americans do not believe such preposterous pronouncements.
Perhaps even more significant from the Gallup survey is that their tracking of support for banning handguns—something Biden has alluded to supporting—has hit an all-time low. Gallup has been asking the public about banning handguns since 1959, when support peaked at 60%. Today, it is below 20%.
Another polling company, Morning Consult, polled registered voters last October for Politico, a news outlet dedicated to reporting on politics and public policy. That survey found that Americans had more trust in Republicans in Congress than their Democrat counterparts when it comes to handling gun policy. The poll also indicated only 29% of Americans consider “placing additional restrictions on gun ownership” to be a “top priority” for Congress.
While I don’t like the idea of viewing gun control through the prism of Republicans vs. Democrats, the fact of the matter is that Democrat leadership, from the Biden-Harris administration to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, all are strident advocates for restricting our right to keep and bear arms. Those are the faces and voices that come to mind for most, including those who took these recent polls, and their message is to gut the Second Amendment.
Countering these anti-gun voices, along with the promising polling, is the incredible increase in firearm purchases we have been talking about for the past two years. While 2021’s numbers (not yet in as I write this column) may not eclipse 2020’s record-shattering number of NICS checks for gun purchases, I’m betting they will be pretty close.
It’s not hard to see why a record-breaking number of Americans are buying guns to protect themselves and their families.
The last two years have been marked by uncertainty and turmoil. Violent crime has risen; images of rioting, arson and looting have been splashed across our TV screens, and we have been plagued with scenes of brazen criminals walking into stores and taking whatever they please, many times violently, and in what often appear to be coordinated raids.
Further, the message from many anti-gun radicals has been to eliminate law enforcement. It’s no wonder so many law-abiding Americans are purchasing firearms. If those who want to eliminate the police get their way, it is only natural for responsible citizens to take the necessary steps to ensure their safety and the safety of their loved ones, should violent criminals show up at their door.
So, in spite of the constant anti-gun push from Democrat leadership, and in spite of the support from anti-freedom billionaires, and in spite of support from most media outlets, the anti-gun movement has been losing support from average Americans.
As we begin moving toward the critical midterm elections next November, that’s good news—and even better news for the future of the Second Amendment.
This appeared in the February 2022 issue of America's 1st Freedom.
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