Media promotes anti-gun poll to accompany veto override news

By Chad D. Baus

In an effort to staunch the bleeding of the anti-gun lobby in Ohio, and in anticipation of a Senatorial veto-override, the Ohio media conspired to publicize a poll at the same time as the override vote, purportedly showing that Ohioans did not support the move.

From the Quinnipiac University poll:

By a 54 - 35 percent margin, Ohio voters say it's a "bad idea" to give state government the power to override local gun control laws, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Results are similar among Democrats, Republicans and independent voters. Gun control laws should be "more strict," 35 percent of voters say, with 12 percent who say, "less strict" and 46 percent who say they're "about right."

..."Gov. Taft is the least popular governor in America," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, "so it is ironic that as he leaves office he has strong public support on two critical questions.

Taft has vetoed legislation that would allow the state to override local bans on gun sales and registration, and lawmakers are trying to override his veto.

"There is a clear consensus that Ohioans don't want to relax current gun control laws and don't want to roll back the tougher laws passed by some cities," said Brown.

...From December 4 - 10, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,027 Ohio voters, with a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.

As with past opinion audits on the subject of concealed carry, the wording of the poll question had everything to do with the outcome of the poll.

Click on 'Read More' for complete details.

The poll question on statewide preemption of local gun laws was framed by Quinnipiac pollsters like this:

9. Some have suggested that the state should have the power to override
gun control laws passed by towns and cities. Do you think this is a good
idea or a bad idea?

54% answered that it was a bad idea.

Imagine if the question been framed as follows:

9. The legislature is considering a bill that would provide for one set of rules for gun owners to know and obey as they travel across Ohio. Do you support or oppose having one set of rules?

Had this been the question posed, does anyone believe Quinnipiac pollsters would have yielded the same result?

As a means of answering this question anecdotally, consider an Ohio State University/WBNS-TV poll conducted in 2001.

Poll respondents were first asked if they were in favor of a bill "that would allow most Ohioans to carry concealed weapons." 65% stated they would be against such legislation.

Next, participants were asked if they were in favor of legislation that involved county sheriffs and would require applicants for a concealed handgun license to "obtain weapons training and be subject to a background check." On this question, 67% said they were in favor of such legislation!

What more proof is needed that the wording of the question plays heavily into the result that to see the same people answering consecutive questions in the same poll with such widely different results?

From the Canton Repository:

Ken Hanson, a spokesman for the Buckeye Firearms Association, discounted the Quinnipiac poll, saying lawmakers were getting bombarded with calls and e-mails asking them to override the veto. He said now Ohioans can "live by one set of rules" statewide.

Hanson also said he expects more gun control legislation to be addressed when a new Legislature and administration takes over next month.

The poorly-worded Quinnipiac University poll was also used in stories from the Akron Beacon Journal, Associated Press, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Post, Dayton Daily News, Elyria Chronicle Telegram, Ohio News Network, and the Middletown Journal. (Hundreds also picked up the story on the Associated Press wire.)

Thankfully, the overwhelming voice of grassroots Ohio was heard far louder by our elected officials than the predictable handwringing of the anti-gun media.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Northwest Ohio Chair.

UPDATE: Yet another story propping up the false notion that this poll represents the true feelings of Ohioans has been sent out on the Associated Press wire service:

Lawmakers grapple with will of the people