From: [c d t] at [sw.stratus.com] (C. D. Tavares) Newsgroups: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh,alt.politics.british,uk.politics,talk.politics.misc,talk.politics.guns Subject: Re: Part 1 of 3: The Case Against Gun Control Date: 19 Oct 1993 21:10:32 GMT [r--il--y] at [cats.ucsc.edu] (Leo P Reilly) writes: >[REDACTED] at [hprnd.rose.hp.com] (Steve Kao) writes: >>> The fact is that >>> the American people when polled consistently support strong arms control >>> laws. >>This is disingenuous. Most American people consistently support some >>form of gun control. I even support keeping guns out of the hands of >>convicted violent felons and the mentally disturbed. This does not mean >>that most Americans support complete disarmament or gun registration. >Sorry Steve, every poll taken on this subject indicates that they DO >support mandatory gun registration, and even the outlawing of assault rifles. Just because you're ignorant of facts doesn't mean they don't exist: Luntz Weber Research Poll Challenges Harris "Sea Change" Several flaws discredit the Lou Harris' "study" of "gun control" attitudes released June 3. The survey was prepared for the Harvard School of Public Health, under a grant from the Joyce Foundation of Chicago "to develop strategies to reposition gun violence as a public health issue." At a June 3 press conference, Harris claimed that "for the first time, a majority favor outlawing the sale of all handguns." He alleged "a sea change of public opinion on this issue," and gun control proponents such as the Washington Post lost no time in trumpeting this message. But the message is, at best, garbled. The question Harris posed was as confusing as it was ungrammatical. He asked: "Do you favor or oppose a federal law banning the ownership of all handguns, except those given permission by a court of law?" The addition of the phrase "except those given permission by a court of law," surely led some respondents to believe they were being asked about a handgun licensing law rather than a handgun ban. This issue was examined in a national survey conducted by Luntz Weber Research, pollsters for Ross Perot during the 1992 election. The results of that survey were announced at a June 10 press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. "We asked people if they agreed or disagreed with the following clear-cut statement," said Frank Luntz. "No private individual should be allowed to own a handgun." Only 27% agreed, while an overwhelming majority--71%--disagreed. "It is clear from the Harris survey that the methodology distracts from a probe of meaningful solutions to issues of public health and cannot in any way be taken as a benchmark on the efficacy of gun control either as a means of improving public health or as a crime reduction tool," Luntz said. "Our survey confirms that there is widespread and considerable concern among Americans about criminal violence, and an open-ended probe reveals that Americans believe meaningful solutions to violent crime begin with reform of the revolving door criminal justice system and a shoring-up of disintegrating values," Luntz said. NRA-ILA Executive Director James Jay Baker criticized the Harris survey for its misrepresentation of legislation, particularly the "Brady bill." "Our conversation with a reporter from USA Today is instructive," he said. "We asked the reporter how Harris defined the `Brady bill.' `A seven-day waiting period,' she replied. When we said it's not, she was silent. `It's a five-day wait,' we explained, `which sunsets to the NRA-backed Instant-Check.' The bill also contains provisions to upgrade and automate criminal history records--both trademark NRA reforms. "`Which part of the bill did poll respondents say they preferred?' we asked. "The reporter was silent." In reality, all that Americans actually know about the "Brady bill" is its name. This was shown in a national scientific survey conducted in March 1993 by Luntz Weber Research. Some 57% of the American people either know nothing about the "Brady bill" or know nothing more than the name. But when asked about specific features of the "Brady bill," 81% of the respondents believe that a waiting period won't stop criminals from getting guns. Also, 86% say registration will be ineffective, and only 9% believe ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ that gun control is a real solution to violent crime. Only 7% believe guns to be a cause of violent crime. Noting that Luntz Weber found that fewer than 10% of those polled suggest "gun control" as the most effective response to violent crime, Baker said: "The majority of Americans believe that violence is a deeply rooted cultural problem that can be attacked effectively by an overhaul of family values, criminal justice reform and youth intervention strategies such as conflict resolution training in schools. "Pollsters shouldn't force people into a box," said Baker. "If you let people respond only to questions about firearms, their responses will reflect bias in a one-sided line of questioning. "Let Americans express their opinions, and they quickly point to the root causes of violence in America--namely disintegrating values and a catch-and-release criminal justice system--and dismiss `gun control' as ineffective." > Curious. As I am writing this some guy is on a rampage at Fort Knox killing > people with firearms. At this time, they suspect he is military. Now what laws do you suggest to restrict our military from possessing guns? > What is disingenuous are those American gun purists who pretend to speak for > Americans on this subject. The NRA has a membership of 3.2 million, and is growing at the rate of 2,000 new members PER DAY. Handgun Control, Inc., the largest gun-control advocacy group in the country, has a membership of 190,000 AND FALLING. What IS disingenuous are those gun-control advocates who push only their biased polls and pretend to speak for Americans on this subject. The Mexicans have it even more right. They've banned ALL civilian ownership of guns. Unfortunately, their murder rate is even GREATER than that of the United States. I wonder what the connection is. -- [c d t] at [rocket.sw.stratus.com] --If you believe that I speak for my company, OR [c d t] at [vos.stratus.com] write today for my special Investors' Packet...