Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association (NRA)
The latest New York Times/CBS News poll shows almost
unheard of levels of support for the general background checks for gun purchasers as included in President Obama's executive orders (those orders are
here).
Just about everyone agrees with the idea—about 9 in 10 gun owners favor background checks as do people with no firearms in their home. Independents (95 percent), Democrats (93 percent) and Republicans (89 percent) all support a background check for those trying to buy firearms. No matter where people live: in the South, the Northeast, in big cities, in small towns. Even members of the National Rifle Association favor background checks. Only 7 percent of all adults in the survey, conducted Friday though Tuesday, oppose background checks for prospective gun customers.
The poll also finds strong agreement with one NRA proposal, with "three-quarters of those surveyed said more police and armed security guards would help prevent mass shootings." So the NRA has that going for them at the moment. Their continued over-the-top tactics, like their
latest ad focusing on the president's children, could very well end any of that support. After universal condemnation for the ad, the organization remains
belligerent and defiant.
For its part, the National Rifle Association isn’t backing down one bit. In an interview on “TODAY” with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, the NRA’s David Keene opposed the kind of universal background checks Obama is calling for. Keene also argued that limiting gun magazines to just 10 rounds doesn’t do much to stop a mass shooter. (“It takes a second to change the magazine,” he said.) And he defended its web video that injected the Obama daughters into the gun-violence debate. (“It wasn’t about the president’s daughters,” Keene said about the web video. “It’s about how to keep children safe.”) It was curious to hear Keene’s answer on the magazine—if it’s not that big of a deal then passing the legislation shouldn’t be a problem, right?
That's the kind of
logic dominating the debate from the gun lobby side. Passing the legislation will be a problem if Congress, and particularly Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid,
drags their heels on bringing it to the floor.
Please send an email to your member of the House of Representatives demanding s/he support President Obama's proposals for improving gun safety.
