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Obama losing his gun control campaign

New polling from Washington Post-ABC News and Pew find that President Obama’s campaign to repress the Second Amendment right “keep and bear arms” is faltering.

On January 22, 2013, Pew released polling results that found the public followed news about Obama’s gun control proposals closely and the reaction is mixed. Only 39 percent think Obama’s proposals are about right, while 31 percent think the proposals go too far. Or, as Politico put it, “39 percent back Obama gun plan.”

Of course there is the usual partisan divide. A 57 percent majority of Republicans say the proposals go too far, and 25 percent say they are about right. A 55 percent majority of Democrats (55%) say the proposals s are about right, and 10 percent  say they go too far. Independents are more evenly divided — 36 percent say the proposals are about right, while 33 percent say they go too far.

There is also a gender divide with Men more likely than women to say Obama’s gun control proposals go too far — 36 percent vs. 26 percent.

It is important to note that despite the “modest” up tick after Newtown, support for gun control remains lower than before Obama took office. In April 2008, 58 percent said it was more important to control gun ownership, while 37 percent  prioritized protecting gun rights. In a poll released January 14, 2013 Pew found that 51 percent say it is more important to control gun ownership, while 45 percent  say it is more important to protect gun rights.

The new Washington Post-ABC News poll, released today, finds that support for Obama’s gun control  package is lower than it was for some of the same steps polled in an ABC/Post poll earlier this month, before Obama’s repressive gun control package was announced.

In an article on the new ABC News/Washington Post poll, the Washington Post reports that most congressional Republicans and some Democrats oppose restrictive new gun control measures, such as an assault-weapons ban.

Even the New York Times reports on how Democrats are now worried that Obama’s gun control campaign is going “imperil” the rest of the Democrats’ agenda. And former President Clinton recently reminded Democrats what happened the last time the Democrats acted against gun rights and passed the so-called assault weapon ban:

“Clinton said that passing the 1994 federal assault weapons ban ‘devastated’ more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers in the 1994 midterms — and cost then-Speaker of the House Tom Foley (D-Wash.) his job and his seat in Congress.”

With six Democrats up for election in two years in states where Obama received less than 42 percent of the vote, some Democrats might have to choose between their own constituents and Obama’s misguided gun control agenda.

From Right Side Politics.

COMMENTS

  • mackd

    I think the Democrats believe the words of one their most revered heros: “All political power flows out of the barrel of a gun” Take away the guns, you take away political power.

  • Ann_W

    It’s Newtown (yes, even Obama said it wrong).

    But don’t worry the media will have some other ‘hot issue’ to drive liberals to the polls again in 2014, probably voter suppression and war on women again, those hit the right demographics. Or even gun control can be played right, they slice and dice the electorate, getting the right section outraged about the right problem and the individual sections don’t seem to worry too much about the other rights they’re losing.

  • jpkoch

    I know I sound like a broken record, but 2nd Terms at least since FDR have not usually been kind to Presidents. Too many Beltway Insiders are either too enamoured or too intimidated by President Obama. Post election polling can be taken both ways. Yes, he won; and in a narrow Rovian sense, his victory was a piece of tactical brilliance. But, like Bush in 2004, one cannot ignore the fact that nearly 50% of the voters casted votes against Obama. There was no mandate.

    Taken within that context, I do find it odd that the President continues to push his snark, his arrogance, his utter disregard for the House GOP, and his strategy of using whatever political capital he has remaining to destroy Boehner and Company as a political force. His window of oppurtunity from a strictly political point of view is maybe 12 months. In 2014, the mid-term elections will drive out all other concerns. But, reading his inaugeral speech, one clearly sees that Obama has no agenda, at all. And without an agenda, the President is in a way forced to react to events. Without the Newton Massacre, there would have been no big WH push to implement more gun control. And if the President’s continued modus operandi is “Never allow a crisis to go to waste”, well let’s just say he is playing with fire. Kicking Boehner and Ryan in the pants may gratify the readers of Huffpo, but in the electorate at large, danger lurks for the Dems. I predicted 3 weeks ago that the President and his party would be hurt by their ill-conceived war with the NRA. I really don’t believe they realize how much they are hurting themselves. If they lose those 6 seats in the Senate, Obama’s may as well retire in 2015.

    And now comes reality time. The continued budget “crisis” (lots of good Beltway Theatre) is a case in point. Not even rank and file Democrats will be entertained anymore now that their standards of living could be taking another big hit (increased taxes and a return to higher oil prices). But, more explicitly if the economy remains stuck at 1.8-2% GDP (with little improvement in jobs), voters will begin to wonder who is benefiting from so much debt? Those with jobs are seeing thier healthcare premiums skyrocket (the lucky ones) and their paychecks lessened. The President is immuned to all of this (he doesn’t stand re-election). But, his party most certainly will not.

    Just an hour ago, the Senate Dems announced renewed efforts to restrict gun ownerhsip. They are all lemmings that will go over the cliff. The GOP remains a limp, ridiculous party. However, they will again reap the political benifits of Progressive over-reach.

  • spandrel

    “Only 39 percent think Obama’s proposals are about right, while 31 percent think the proposals go too far. ”

    That’s an odd way to describe it, when this poll also found that 13% think the proposals “do not go far enough.” So in fact 51% would support his proposals against something “less” restrictive, no?

  • Dan Spencer

    Thanks, it’s fixed.

  • Tbone

    So spandrel are we to assume that you are for leftwing totalitarian control, the elimination of our second Amend Rights, totally ignorant of the historical significance of the right to bear arms and unappreciative of the fact that millions of brave Americans have used a gun to secure your right to be an Anti-American puke?

  • mindyr

    This is encouraging on many levels. One of my concerns is that all dems became libs, a concern brought about due to media hype and the libs that are paraded in front of us under the guise of being a dem. I have done much research to try to determine the truth. This article indicates there are still many democrats, more dems than libs. For that I am truly thankful. Why? Because dems are Americans who protect the constitution, and their goal is to protect this country and it’s freedoms. They are not socialists, they are not our enemies, they are our brothers and our sisters. They were mislead, slowly but surely, they are beginning to realize this. I thank the Lord for this. It is slim hope, but, it is hope that it is not too late to peacefully take America back.

  • thirdeblue3639

    Reading comprehension is a liberal ploy? Seriously…this is what you are arguing.

  • wlcjr

    I hope the Dems fully explore passing such divisive issue legislation with 51% of the poll vote. It would be a political gift.

  • joehatfield37

    Don’t worry. If there needs to be more “shooting incidents”, to help push this through, they will happen…..either by lucky chance for the gun-grabbers, or false flag operations.

  • rosehill

    One topic relating to gun control that I have not seen mentioned is the citizens’ ability to defend themselves in the event of foreign invasion. I know, I know, this seems far fetched, but the truth is that it has happened before in many countries and could happen here. The deterrent of an armed citizenry should not be discounted. In WWII the Japanese chose to fight our country on the seas for a reason — Admiral Yamamoto (educated at Harvard and familiar with the American culture) advised against war with the US, partly because he knew that the Japanese army would not only have to fight the US Army, but also a well armed citizenry. As we have recently seen (if we’ve been watching), guerrilla warfare can be effective against modern armies. Semi-assult weapons anyone?

  • rightlane1111

    It becomes this simple…just this simple. What is the murder rate involving guns in Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles?

    Again…Republicans in Senate and House…don’t get off the subject and into the weeds…the 2nd Amendment is to protect US against the tyranny of the government. Now, if we do not have tyranny now…wait until, through Executive Fiat or Reid’s failure to bring this to a vote and Obama steps in..that the National Guard or our local law enforcement are “COMMANDED” to take away guns. What do you think is going to happen?

    If they decide to go another route and “tax” the guns and ammo…what do you think is going to happen? Taxes have gone up in 2013. We’re into our fourth week of pay in January…has the paychecks increased? So, taxing MORE will leave everyone with LESS. Not too many happy campers there.

    Not only that, Obama has all but set up another business for the underworld…you know, those people that live in Chicago and other big cities. Sell the guns “under the table”. That way we enrich the criminals. Oh…what the hey…let Holder sell them…he did a good job via Mexico.

  • 2warabnvet

    Obama supporters clustered in America’s cities have surrendered their rights to the government long ago. The only people in those liberal cities who have ready access to firearms are the criminals and drug dealers. Decades of Democrat policies have stripped honest people of the ability to defend themselves. The only way remaining for them to express themselves, if they’re dissatisfied, is by burning their own city around them.

  • lynnbo

    Obama has set us up for a third world war and has been giving gadafi weapons to the people who did 9/11. They will retalitate on USA and then he wants Marshall law and take guns. With millions here illegally who knows how many terroists are waiting for orders to strike the USA……………………but hey if he helps kill off a few million american white people while aborting babies and foreign war deaths who cares right?

  • nvrat

    Very interesting this WP/ABC poll. I have seen 4 such polls and the against gun control runs about 78% against to 22% for so, this tells me they are a little biased for OBama even though they admit to loosing ground.

  • whitetop

    With 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition stockpiled for his civilian army he can take out every American if they don’t use more than 5 rounds per person.

  • thirdeblue3639

    Do you think any past mass shootings were faked?

  • soljerblue

    The lack of support for Obama/Biden/Feinslime’s push for more gun control doesn’t surprise me in the least. Rumblings from my state and elsewhere suggest that if the banners succeed on any significant level, they will unleash a wave of defiance that will leave them stunned. Still — if you’re pro-2A, please do NOT get complacent. Think about what happened with Obamacare: the country was clearly against it; loudly, angrily, vociferously so — and we got it anyway. This administration and its allies in Congress rammed it through with tactics better suited to a midnight drug deal in some slimey urban back alley than to elected representatives. Fighting — and defeating — this assault on the 2A will take every voice, every vote, and every dollar we can muster. I know Erick hates the NRA — but without their ‘heft’ and that of the Second Amendment Foundation, we may very well lose this fight.
    And once the Second Amendment is gone, the rest of the Constitution is just a wish list.

  • pitman44

    I’m much more interested in knowing in how the anti-2nd amendment movement has progressed over the past 10, 20, 30 years than in how it’s changed in the past month.

  • randygr

    Don’t believe it when they say that the gun ban is losing steam. The last time they said that, they slipped the UN gun treaty through right under our noses while we were sleeping. Lets keep the heat on the senate and house and even I have been making visits to our sheriff and asking how things look and how are we going to keep our gun rights if they pass such a bill into law. Lets keep our eyes and ears open and watch everything that is going on and keep up the pressure on our congressmen so as not to be fooled into thinking everything is going peachy…It probably isn’t so if the main stream liberal media says it..lets not forget who they work for..just a little something to think about…lets keep our guns and gun rights intact guys and gals…

  • randygr

    And another thing to watch for, and thats a false flag..Most of you know what that means but if you don’t know, its something caused by the democrats and blamed on the other half,,,us.,,,They will do something that looks bad on us and blame us when it is them,,,democrats,,,that has done something to look bad for our side..They are not beyond doing something like that to make us look bad and cause everyone back to talking about getting rid of the guns again..I still am not sure of Sandy Hook with the video missing and the guy in army camo walking out of the schhool and hours later they were made to let him go..didn’t make any sense to me but what do I know…just watch our P’s and Q’s and keep an eye on the democrats and what they may pull.. just a word to the wise…