As George Will said on Charlie Rose’s show in August of 2011, “opinion is shiftable sand, therefore – there are not permanent victories in a democracy [or republic].” Conservatives know this from past experiences. In 1964, when Barry Goldwater was trounced by Lyndon Johnson, many thought conservatism was over. Sixteen years later, Ronald Reagan was elected, and then re-elected in 1984. He was 3800 votes shy of carrying all fifty states. In 2008, it was the era of Obama liberalism, which was succeeded by the rise of the Tea Party – and the 2010 shellacking of the Democratic Party in the midterms. The same can be said with the polls gauging gun control.
In a new CNN/Time Magazine/ORC poll:
According to the survey, 56% support a ban on semi-automatic guns, but that’s down from 62% in a CNN poll taken in the days after the shooting at Sandy Hook. The same is true for a ban on high-capacity ammunition clips – 62% in December, down to 58% now – as well as a requirement for all gun owners to register their firearms with the local government – 78% last month, down to 69% now.
Furthermore, as I’ve mentioned in a previous post, most Americans are fine with armed guards in schools – and most find it more effective than new gun laws:
…a majority of Americans (54%-45%) favor armed guards in every school in the country although that proposal does not restrict guns in any way, and why a plurality (47%-40%) say that armed guards would do more to reduce gun violence in schools than stricter gun control laws would.
Yes, a majority of Americans still support an assault weapons ban, a ban on high-capacity magazines, and universal registration of firearms, but those numbers have dropped 6%/4%/9% points in a month. I expect the bleeding of support for these measure to continue, which could coincide with more Democrats abandoning the president’s anti-gun initiatives.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member