by Dave Workman
Senior Editor
A majority of Americans believe current gun laws should remain as they are, and that stronger gun control laws are not necessary, even after the Virginia Tech massacre, according to the results of a recent Rasmussen poll.
The poll marks a surprising turnaround in public opinion on gun laws. Shortly after the Virginia Tech shooting, a Rasmussen poll found only 37% of the respondents opposed to tougher new gun laws.
Rasmussen conducted a national telephone survey that found 49% of the respondents saying the country does not need stricter gun laws, while only 43% now support tougher gun laws. The poll contacted 1,000 Americans on May 29-30 and has a 3% plus/minus margin of error.
According to Rasmussen Reports, there is a “huge gender gap” on the gun issue. Men are decidedly against new gun controls by a 2:1 margin (64% to 32%) while women support new gun laws by a 52-36% margin.
As might be expected, there is also a major partisan split on the gun issue. Among Democrats, 58% want tougher gun laws, with 34% of the acknowledged Democrats opposing stricter laws. On the Republican side, it was a 69-22% tilt against tougher gun laws, the Rasmussen survey revealed.
The poll found that respondents who are not affiliated with either major party are evenly split on the gun issue.
Forty-five percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the National Rifle Association, while 33% are not NRA fans.
Forty percent of the respondents said tougher gun laws will have no impact on violent crime, while 37% believe tougher gun laws would reduce violent crime, and 16% believe violent crime will actually rise with more restrictions on gun rights.
Following the Virginia Tech incident, Rasmussen Reports found 45% of American adults thought the nation needs tougher gun laws. That number slipped 8% with the more recent poll.
That earlier poll also found 39% of the respondents saying tougher gun laws are not needed. That position gained a stunning 10% shift away from tough gun laws with the more recent poll.