In the aftermath of the horrific attack in Aurora, Colorado, those on the left have taken up their usual response to such tragedies-push for more restrictions on gun rights.

They didn’t wait long, the following morning found a chorus of pundits and elected officials calling for more restrictive gun control.

Public opinion suggests that these calls are unlikely to be effective.

In the first poll following the shooting, conducted by Rasmussen, showed that 51% of Americans think we do not need stricter gun control laws.

Polling after previous similar attacks reinforces the conclusion that liberals will not be able to exploit this tragedy to restrict gun rights.

Despite a brief change after the Columbine attacks, the American public increasingly favors protecting 2^nd amendment rights.

An April 2012 poll by Pew Research demonstrated this vividly-in 1993 only 34% of Americans thought it was more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns than it is to better control the sale of guns. In their April 2012 poll, 49% thought it was more important to protect gun rights-a 15 point jump in a decade.

American support goes beyond a generic support of the 2^nd amendment- when asked about specific issues 73% do not want hand guns banned and 53% are against banning semi-automatic weapons.

Democrats who actually face tough elections understand the realities of public opinion and are unlikely to join the liberal punditry and the handful of “safe seat” liberals in opportunistically pushing an anti-gun agenda. President Obama and many other Democrats know the electoral risk of pushing gun control and have steered clear of doing so.

The bottom line is that the events in Aurora are tragic and shocking, but the predictable reaction of anti-gun liberal extremists is mostly just so much talking on the Sunday shows without any real impact on either public opinion or policy.