Reuters: Gun restrictions have widespread public support: poll

[DMK]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About three-quarters of Americans surveyed support proposals to ban the sale of automatic weapons, ban high-capacity ammunition clips and expand background checks on all gun buyers, according to an online Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday.
Those proposals were at the heart of President Barack Obama's package of recommendations to Congress on Wednesday designed to curb gun violence after last month's elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed 20 children and six adults.
Obama's plan has drawn heavy opposition from gun-rights advocates, led by the National Rifle Association, and faces a tough battle for approval in the coming months in a divided and fiercely partisan Congress.
The reinstatement of a ban on assault weapons, which was approved in 1994 but expired 10 years later when Congress failed to renew it, is seen as the toughest sell to lawmakers, even though the poll found broad public support for it.
The poll, mostly taken before Obama released his recommendations, found 74 percent of Americans favor a ban on assault weapons, with 26 percent opposed. A ban on high-capacity ammunition clips was backed by 74 percent, and 26 percent were opposed.
The poll also found 86 percent favor expanded background checks of all gun buyers, including sales at gun shows and between private parties, with 14 percent opposed.
A proposal to place armed guards in schools, which has been backed by the NRA, was favored by 72 percent with 28 percent opposed.
The online poll of 559 American adults had a credibility interval, similar to a margin of error, of plus or minus 4.7 percentage points.
(Writing by John Whitesides; Editing by Stacey Joyce)

http://news.yahoo.com/gun-restrictions-widespread-public-support-poll-213353048.html

So much wrong with this article I don't know where to begin. They must have been very selective about who they polled though.

 

[M-Cameron]

About three-quarters of Americans surveyed support proposals to ban the sale of automatic weapons,

'Surveyed' being the key word

3/4 of Americans surveyed =/= 3/4 of Americans

i could interview only 4 people, and if 3 people agree....then its still technically three-quarters.

its the same tactic the toothpaste people use when they say "9/10 doctors recommend...."......it literally has no value.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Since when do online polls have any validity?

 

[huntsman]

the great leftist spin machine the MSM is on the job.

 

[mberoose]

Remember folks, when it's in favor of a highly publicized and pushed agenda, it's gospel. When it runs contrary to it, it's "not scientific."

 

[InkEd]

Who did they survey? I bet I could survey some people and get some VERY different results.

 

[DMK]

Also notice that they are (probably intentionally) confusing "Assault Weapons" with automatic weapons.

3/4 of Americans surveyed =/= 3/4 of Americans

i could interview only 4 people, and if 3 people agree....then its still technically three-quarters.

its the same tactic the toothpaste people use when they say "9/10 doctors recommend...."......it literally has no value.

Whether it is true or not, they are clearly reporting that 3/4 of Americans support an AWB.

The poll, mostly taken before Obama released his recommendations, found 74 percent of Americans favor a ban on assault weapons, with 26 percent opposed

This article is obviously targeted at the fence sitters I think.

What an abuse of the first amendment. :banghead:

 

[hso]

Depends upon what you ask.

If you were to just ask "Do you support background checks for all firearms sales?" you'd get a majority of people saying YES. If you were to ask about the entire list, AWB, mag cap limits, assault weapon ban, etc. you'd get fewer people willing to include the ban of firearms and the data would skew.

It is in what is asked and how it is asked.

 

[KTXdm9]

Plenty of polls out there saying just the opposite, lots of them have been posted on this website. Get ready for a huge misinformation campaign from the MSM. We need to make sure we get the facts out for an informed discussion.

 

[TNBilly]

Depends upon what you ask.

If you were to just ask "Do you support background checks for all firearms sales?" you'd get a majority of people saying YES. If you were to ask about the entire list, AWB, mag cap limits, assault weapon ban, etc. you'd get fewer people willing to include the ban of firearms and the data would skew.

It is in what is asked and how it is asked.

the phrasing is Certainly key and when the couching is made to determine the outcome well I used to say it would just reflect back badly on the operator, nowdays it pretty well reeks of the patent dishonesty underlying the poll.