I don’t have the math chops to deconstruct the latest poll produced by The Mayors Against Legal Gun Ownership. I mean, Illegal Guns. [Press release after the jump]. An independent poll it is not. Lake Research’s principals are “leading information and political campaign strategists, serving as tacticians and senior advisors to a wide range of advocacy groups, labor unions, non-profits, government agencies, companies and foundations, as well as dozens of elected officials at all levels of the electoral process.” Celinda Lake [above] has a client list that includes AFL-CIO, the SEIU, the Democratic National Committee, Janet Napolitano and Senators Mikulski, Stabenow and Blanche Lincoln. All that aside, even if the survey’s half right, the NRA really needs to reach out to the Latino community.

76 Percent of Latinos Believe Those Who Do Not Meet Their State’s Legal Requirements Should Not Be Allowed to Carry a Loaded and Concealed Gun in Public

86 Percent Support Requiring a Background Check on All Gun Sales

76 Percent Support Obama Administration Program Requiring Firearms Dealers in Border States to Report Bulk Sales of Assault Rifles

NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The bipartisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns today announced the results of a new public opinion survey showing overwhelming support among Latino voters for strong gun laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, tough enforcement practices, and state control over who can carry concealed, loaded guns in public places.

The survey by Lake Research Partners shows Latinos strongly believe laws governing gun sales should be made stronger and that states – not Congress – should have the authority to decide who can carry loaded, concealed guns within state borders. A measure headed quickly for a vote by the U.S. House would override state authority to set standards for who can obtain a concealed carry permit.

“Latinos clearly put a priority on gun safety and prefer measures that make laws governing gun sales stricter and that prioritize their individual state laws over laws originating in other states,” said Joshua Ulibarri of Lake Research Partners.

Among the poll’s key findings:

  • 69 percent of Latino voters believe laws governing the sale of guns should be stronger.  24 percent believe laws should be kept as they are now, and only five percent of Latinos believe gun laws should be less strict.
  • A large majority of Latinos, including more than 70 percent of Latino Republicans, Latino gun owners and Latinos over 50, believe that people from other states should  not be allowed to carry a loaded and concealed gun in their state unless they meet their state’s legal requirements.
  • Nearly nine in 10 Latinos – 86 percent – support requiring all gun buyers to pass a criminal background check, no matter where they buy the gun and no matter who they buy it from.  Today, only federally licensed gun dealers are required to perform background checks, although 40 percent of U.S. gun sales are conducted through unlicensed sellers.
  • 76 percent of Latinos favor a new Obama Administration program requiring gun dealers in border states to report when someone attempts to buy more than one semi-automatic assault rifle within a five-day period.

“Elected officials at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue need to start listening to their constituents instead of the Washington gun lobby,” said Mayors Against Illegal Guns co-chair Mayor Michael Bloomberg.  “Hispanic voters support the same approach most other Americans say they want – strong gun laws that keep guns out of the wrong hands while respecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners.”

“The debate about gun laws has been drowned out by an extreme minority that makes a lot of noise, but is clearly out of step with the public,” said Mayors Against Illegal Guns co-chair Mayor Tom Menino.  “Today’s poll shows that yet another important constituency backs the moderate approach so many mayors are taking.  The message is particularly clear when it comes to Latino support for the Administration’s new program to strop the trafficking of assault weapons at our border with Mexico.  Congress should take note.”

On the concealed carry question, the Lake Research poll reinforces the results of a recent nationwide poll showing Americans overwhelmingly oppose pending legislation that would require states to recognize every other state’s concealed carry permits. That poll showed 74 percent of Americans believe “each state should decide for themselves” what permitting requirements are appropriate.

A broad coalition of mayors, police organizations, domestic violence experts, prosecutors and more than 60,000 Americans have launched a national campaign – www.OurLivesOurLaws.org – to defeat H.R. 822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, which would override state concealed carry laws.

The Lake poll also shows strong support among Latino voters for requiring all gun sellers to conduct instant criminal background checks, a central element of the Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011.  The legislation was first proposed by the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition after January’s mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona and has been introduced in the House and Senate.  For more information on the bill, visit www.fixgunchecks.org.

 

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16 COMMENTS

  1. Considering that one of the questions involved a semi automatic assault rifle I dont think this survey holds any water…

  2. I stopped believing polls and stats even before I stopped believing the main-stream media.

    I wonder how Mexican law-abiding citizens would answer this poll? How about Syrians, Iranians, Cubans, Venezuelans, Brits, Norwegians, etc? How has gun control been working out for them?

    Etc, etc, etc, now and throughout history. When will people learn?

    • Let me tell you man, gun control is bull. I’m sure you already knew, but here in Mexico, the gun-control laws are Draconian.

  3. The numbers don’t add up. MAIG needs to go to Mexico, England, and the like and see for themselves how they’re doing with these restrictive gun policies. Criminals don’t abide by the laws. That’s why they are CRIMINALS. MAIG needs to pull its head out of the hole it’s in and open their eyes.

  4. without seeing the survey questions, it is difficult to take the results and their interpretation at face value. Moreover, I find it unfortunate that this article is published without any apparent links to the original so we can understand the political slant of the source.

  5. “While respecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners”? In Mayor Bloomberg’s mind, that would mean the ‘right’ to wait months to purchase a .22 rifle which would then (of course) be ‘safely’ stored at the police station?

    No thanks. I like my rights the way they are.

  6. Another day, another poll. Well, I took my own poll, and 87% of Latinos think that Celinda Lake looks like a bowser. The other 13% ran out of the room screaming.

    Sure, the NRA needs to become more inclusive and reach out to minority communities and women. But who can take a poll seriously that was paid for by MAIG? Pollsters are a lot like prostitutes — in either case, you state your needs, pay in advance, and get what you pay for. Just don’t forget the penicillin.

  8. i wonder how many of the respondents in this come from countries where there has been a complete dis arming of the civilian population already? Of course they are not going to understand the value of firearms ownership if they have never experienced them before.

  10. Oh, just about any populist sentiment to erode the rights of individuals against a government that is out of control is welcomed by the liberal media and its supporters. Conservatives have been underwhelming as well. This is why our rights in general have been eroded, as everyone worships at the altar of totalitarian government. Too few are defending the Constitution and the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence.

  11. So in other words the ruling class favors importing millions of aliens who would vote away our rights in a heart beat? Hell we should be good kwanservatives and let them in so the NRA can “reach out to them” hahaha.

  12. Before we are too hasty, we need to consider the “gun culture” of these groups. I think urban minorities have a radically different experience with firearms. In some places only cops and thugs have guns. Most citizens have neutral to negative experience with cops (who doesn’t) and either you are a thug, want to be a thug, or hate the thugs.

    None of these is breeding ground for positive views of firearms or the 2nd amendment.

  13. **off topic (kind of)** I hate the term Latino; the root word being Latin, which would also include Italians, Portuguese and anyone else who’s language has roots in Latin. When I hear Latino it invokes an image of a swarthy man with a pencil moustache and a wife beater t-shirt.
    **on topic**
    Being 100% Hispanic (Puerto Rican) and being a member of the NRA, I can attest to the fact that they do reach out to me..for donations. I don’t think that the NRA should be targeting Hispanics as a rule. They should not be targeting any specific demographic. We are all Americans. They should tone down some of the Billy Bob’edness that they can convey sometimes and they should try to expand their excellent Eddie the Eagle program to low income and minority dominated schools.

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