Zogby polls on voters' views on CCW & other firearm owners' rights

In a pre-9/11 poll, 67% of Ohioans said they preferred a CCW law that had training and background checks. Yet this isn't what we've been hearing from the gun ban lobby, now is it?

After reading these results from Zogby, you'll have good reason to expect that 67% figure has gone up in Ohio, as the numbers have gone up nationwide. We certainly don't expect to be seeing these new findings in the national headlines this week. But it is BIG national news.

The highly respected research firm Zogby International has conducted the first installment of its 2004 Zogby Values Poll, surveying 1,200 voters nationwide on issues that included firearms and hunting. Working with the Tower Center for Political Studies at Southern Methodist University and the O`Leary Report, Zogby`s questions interestingly examine differences in thinking between people living in the states that voted for George Bush in 2000 (Red states) and Al Gore (Blue states).

On firearms, at least, they all seem to agree. Click on the Read More..." link below for the good news.

The survey examined how Americans feel about Right-to-Carry laws, with the pollster asking: "Currently 36 states have laws that allow residents to qualify for a permit to carry a firearm to protect themselves if they pass a background check, if they participate in firearms training and pay a fee to cover administrative costs. Do you feel this is a good law or a bad law?"

Voters overwhelmingly favor these self-protection laws by a margin of 79% to 18%. Right-to-Carry drew better than 70% support in every demographic group, with even non-gun owners indicating their backing by 73% to 23%.

Voters were asked: "Do you agree or disagree that American firearm manufacturers who sell a legal product that is not defective should be allowed to be sued if a criminal uses their products in a crime?"

Voters in both Red and Blue states strongly oppose such lawsuits - 74% of the former and 72% of the latter. In fact, a majority in every demographic group opposed the lawsuits; the most strongly opposed, at 83%, were current members of the military and their families.

The survey also asked: "Which of the following two statements regarding gun control comes closer to your own opinion? Statement A: There needs to be new and tougher gun control legislation to help in the fight against gun crime; Statement B: There are enough laws on the books. What is needed is better enforcement of current laws regarding gun control."

By a better than two-to-one margin - 66% to 31% - voters nationwide agreed with Statement B. Only self-identified liberals called for more laws, by a 53% to 44% margin. Moderates solidly favored better enforcement, 62% to 34%.

Voters were asked: "Do you agree the NRA is right to fight gun control on both the federal and state levels?" NRA`s support stood at 64%, with a party affiliation breakdown showing Democrats siding with NRA 54% to 42%, and Republicans 73% to 22%.

Interestingly, gun owners were found to have more of a respect for human life than non-gun-owners: Gun owners were considerably above the national level in their belief that abortion is manslaughter by a 59% to 31% margin. Non gun-owners were more evenly split on the question with 47% thinking abortion is manslaughter and 40% who felt it wasn’t manslaughter.

The entire 2004 Zogby Values Poll can be found at www.olearyreport.com.