But there are 80 million gun owners in our nation.
It is true that the NRA represents gun owner rights but if the Brady Campaign could get the majority of gun owners to agree with their views, politicians would be willing to implement the strong gun control you measure you dream of.
The NRA is largely the voice of gun owners and I believe that overall it reflects their basic views on gun control. I have personally known a number of firearm owners who once belong to the NRA but dropped their membership when they were disgusted with the constant barrage of mailings and sometimes telephone calls from the NRA-ILA seeking donations. That doesn't mean that they disagree in an significant manner with the NRA's position on gun control.
It's my contention that politicians do not fear the NRA as much as they do gun owners who show up at the polls to defend their rights.
In some largely urban and liberal areas of our nation a politician who supports strong gun control has a far better chance of being elected than one who strongly supports RKBA. Such areas include cities as Chicago where most people have little knowledge of honest and responsible gun owners but often see criminal violence caused by such weapons.
In other areas and cities of our nation where firearm ownership is common, even many of those who don't own firearms have little problem with the honest and responsible people who do because they are friends, co-workers and neighbors. In such areas of our nation it is basically political suicide to propose strong gun control measures while running for office.
The news media has a long hatred of the Second Amendment and the civilian ownership of firearms. It has tried to do everything within its power to convince Americans that we need to impose draconian gun laws. This includes purposefully distorting the truth and even lying to accomplish this goal. All their efforts have largely failed.
The media is unwilling to admit that it has totally failed to accomplish its goal. To do so would show just how little influence they really have and how little Americans respect their views. Therefore they have to find a boogie man to blame their failure on.
The article in the OP is not really meant as much for the average reader as it is for other members of the media to reassure them that the fact that we do not have draconian gun control in our nation like in Great Britain is not the fault of their "enlightened" efforts.
Of course the real problem is that many citizens have a strong distrust of the media for good reason. I feel a significant portion of that distrust is caused by the media bias on gun ownership. Americans are nowhere near as stupid as the media assumes.
September 22, 2011
Majority in U.S. Continues to Distrust the Media, Perceive Bias
More perceive liberal bias than conservative bias
by Lymari Morales
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The majority of Americans still do not have confidence in the mass media to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly. The 44% of Americans who have a great deal or fair amount of trust and the 55% who have little or no trust remain among the most negative views Gallup has measured.
***snip***
Implications
Americans remain largely distrusting of the news media, with 55% saying they have little or no trust in the media to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly, and 60% perceiving bias one way or the other. These views are largely steady compared with last year, even as the media landscape continues to change rapidly.
In a report released Thursday, the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found record-high negativity toward the media on 9 of 12 core measures it tracks. These measures may help explain some of the underlying negativity, though Gallup does not find sharp changes in overall views of the media this year compared with last. The types of media one consumes likely play a role in one's overall perceptions, and Gallup is planning more research in this area.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/149624/majority-continue-distrust-media-perceive-bias.aspx
Views on Gun Laws Unchanged After Aurora Shooting
Released: July 30, 2012
There has been no significant change in public views on the issue of gun control and gun rights following the July 20th shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Currently, 47% say it is more important to control gun ownership, while 46% say it is more important to protect the rights of Americans to own guns. That is virtually unchanged from a survey earlier this year in April, when 45% prioritized gun control and 49% gun rights.
Other recent major shootings also had little effect on public opinion about gun laws. There was no significant change in the balance of opinion about gun rights and gun control after the January, 2011 shooting in Tucson, Arizona in which Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was injured. Nor was there a spike in support for gun control following the shooting at Virginia Tech University in April, 2007.
Public opinion about gun control and gun rights has been divided since early 2009. Prior to that, going back to the first Pew Research Center polling on this issue in 1993, majorities consistently rated controlling gun ownership as a higher priority than protecting the rights of Americans to own guns.
The issue remains a highly partisan one: Republicans prioritize gun rights by a 71% to 26% margin, while Democrats prioritize gun control by a 72% to 21% margin. Independents are split, with 50% saying the priority should be protecting the right of Americans to own guns, while 43% say it should be controlling gun ownership.
http://www.people-press.org/2012/07/30/views-on-gun-laws-unchanged-after-aurora-shooting/
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