ErikS
Member
My bet on where he got the statistics is a poll that was done in 2003 and asked how many favored renewing the ban. It's the only statistics I can find that seem to match it.
There are a few problems with using that kind of poll as a valid source.
First of all it's an old poll.
Second, the question if people want to keep an existing ban is easier to get a yes on than a question on keeping things as they are now. A lot of people that doesn't have a fixed opinion will tend to keep things as they are.
Third, there is no way of knowing how the question was asked, or who did the poll. If you call up with a line of question that asks about all kinds of gang violence and shootings, you will get scewered results on the last question, that gets publiciced.
For those of you that havent seen it, I recommend this scene from the classic Yes Prime Minister:
Getting the results you want from the polls.
There are a few problems with using that kind of poll as a valid source.
First of all it's an old poll.
Second, the question if people want to keep an existing ban is easier to get a yes on than a question on keeping things as they are now. A lot of people that doesn't have a fixed opinion will tend to keep things as they are.
Third, there is no way of knowing how the question was asked, or who did the poll. If you call up with a line of question that asks about all kinds of gang violence and shootings, you will get scewered results on the last question, that gets publiciced.
For those of you that havent seen it, I recommend this scene from the classic Yes Prime Minister:
Getting the results you want from the polls.