Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc
From: [an 25970] at [anon.penet.fi] (Canadian Remailer)
Subject: New Poll Shows Americans Oppose Gun Control
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 1994 08:22:49 UTC

        FIRST NATIONAL SURVEY -- PUBLIC REJECTS "CRIME" BILL
55% of Americans believe Congress should wait for a better crime bill.

Washington, D.C.--According to the first nationwide poll of
registered voters on the current crime bill, "a full 55% of all
Americans believe that Congress should wait until the next Congress
for a better crime bill, a majority of 57% of voters believe that
'stronger punishment' is a better way to prevent crimes, and by a
ratio of nearly 4-to-1 voters overwhelmingly favor more
prisons/longer sentences to stricter gun laws."

The Luntz Research Companies poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters
nationwide from August 4th through 9th, 1994.  According to a release
from Luntz Research, "voter responses nationwide dispel the myth that
the public believes the key to reducing crime in this country is
through additional gun control legislation.  Only 1 in 5 Americans
(20%) feel that the Congress should pass the crime bill now, while
almost twice as many (36%) would strongly prefer that Congress put
the brakes on passing hasty legislation."

Voters were asked the open-ended question, "If you were a Member of
Congress and you could do one thing to reduce crime, what would you
do?"  The top three answers were: 27% said more prisons/longer
sentences; 13% said death penalty; and, 9% said education.  More
jobs, gun laws, more police, and fighting drug/alcohol abuse were
mentioned least.

"Americans are far more concerned that convicted criminals remain
behind bars than teenagers in inner cities learn to ball room dance
and slam dunk from the foul line by the pale moonlight," according to
the release.  50% of voters said $100 million for dancing lessons and
art programs was "a complete waste of money."  48% of voters said $40
million for Midnight Basketball was "a complete waste of money."

For more information or a speaker regarding this wasteful crime bill
contact Allison Woodburn at Craig Shirley & Assoc. at 703-739-5920 or
1-800-536-5920.  The following speakers are available for interviews:
Frank Luntz, Luntz Research Companies; U.S. Senator Hank Brown;
Stephen Moore, Cato Institute; Paul McNulty, First Freedom Coalition;
Morgan Reynolds, National Center for Policy Analysis; David Keene,
American Conservative Union; Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax
Reform; William Kristol, Project for the Republican Future; John J.
DiIulio, Jr., Princeton University and The Brookings Institute; and,
John P. Walters, New Citizenship Project.  Representatives are also
available from Citizens for a Sound Economy.

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