Fears that the Obama administration may attempt to impose radical gun control measures have spiked unparalleled demand for firearms and ammunition, and helped fuel the highest sentiment against gun control ever recorded by Gallup.

According to Gallup’s just-released October Crime Survey, just 29 percent of Americans said they would favor a ban on handgun possession by citizens, the lowest percentage recorded in a half-century of polling by Gallup.

Only 49 percent of Americans want stricter gun control laws, Gallup says. That too is the lowest percentage favoring stricter gun control laws since Gallup first started asking the question in 1990. In contrast to today, opinion surveys in the early 1990s showed that Americans favored stricter gun control laws by a 2-1 margin.

The survey results showed a stark difference in attitudes toward gun control among Republicans and Democrats.  For example, 66 percent of Democrats favored stricter gun control laws, as opposed to 30 percent of Republicans. Similarly, 66 percent of Democrats favored a ban on handgun possession, while only 22 percent of Republicans supported such a ban.

The just-released survey results were based on telephone interviews with 1,011 Americans conducted from Oct. 3-5, when Obama’s pending victory was becoming apparent. 

In a commentary accompanying the poll results, Gallup analyst Lydia Saad said perceptions might have changed among Americans since the poll was taken because of several well-publicized shooting sprees that have occurred since.

But she also pointed out that the poll was taken in the aftermath of several similarly well-publicized mass shootings, including the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings in which 32 victims were killed.

Sources say the perception of the stridency of the Obama administration’s pro-gun control agenda is driving a backlash among Americans who embrace the Second Amendment. But there are other factors at play as well.

“I do think Obama’s record and attitude on gun control issues was well-known during the campaign – the community of firearms owners is politically astute,” said Erich Pratt, communications director for Gun Owners of America.

But Pratt added that repeated demonstrations suggesting gun control measures were by and large ineffective also were influencing the public attitude.

“We continue to see these mass shootings in countries like Germany and India and Canada that have very strict gun control laws,” Pratt said.

In addition, he said debate over concealed carry laws in the more than 40 states that have adopted some version of concealed carry probably had influenced peoples’ attitudes as well.

“Starting in Florida, and now in the 40-some states that allow some form of concealed carry, opponents raised a great hue and cry about how there would be shootings in the streets, and none of that has happened. In fact crimes rates and homicide rates have gone down. People have been converted on that issue.”

Bob Hodgdon, treasurer/board member of the Hodgdon Powder Company, agreed that the groundless fear-mongering in which opponents of concealed carry had engaged inspired more support for gun rights.

“It wasn’t Dodge City like opponents of concealed carry said it would be – in fact, except for some hot spots violent crime is down,” Hodgdon said. “The popularity of concealed carry had made gun ownership more socially acceptable.”

Hodgdon said the anti-gun control sentiment fueled in part by fear of the Obama administration is manifesting itself in the local firearms industry.  In the case of Hodgdon Powder Company, he said it had enjoyed steady sales increases over its 60 years.

“But, since the election our sales have doubled and they would have tripled if we had been able to fill all the orders we got,” he said.

The anti-gun control sentiment is manifesting itself in the local firearms industry, according to industry insiders.

Mike Egan, a manufacturer’s representative, said customers from all socio-economic levels are expressing great trepidation about Obama’s intentions on the gun control issue.

He said three main concerns are being expressed.

• There is a fear that Obama would act to ban certain weapons and certain magazines.
• There is a concern that massive taxes on the firearms and ammunitions industries would be used to support some form of nationalized health care.
• There is a fear, albeit not a widespread one, Egan said, that based on the direction the Obama administration appears to be headed, a system will be created where the government will “take from the haves to give to the have-nots, and a small percentage of people among the haves are saying they’ll protect their interests, with firearms if necessary.”

Although Egan said he shares some of those concerns, he also has benefited from a dramatic increase in sales.

“We were up 80 percent in the first quarter of this year and we are no longer taking orders for some product because manufacturers can’t keep up with demand,” he said.

 -- Phil LaCerte

Resource:

• More information about Gallup's methodology and results is available here: http://www.gallup.com/poll/117361/Recent-Shootings-Gun-Control-Support-Fading.aspx#2

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