Poll: Pa. voters want assault weapons banned

[Johannes_Paulsen]

There's no mention of their sampling strategy, for one, which always makes me skeptical. For all we know, it was a convenience sample of the first people to respond, or their response rate was 27%, or it was stratified by population density, which would account for greater selection from Philly and Pittsburgh. And we all know that Philly and Pittsburgh sway everything in the state, sort of like how NYC controls the entirety of New York.

Good point about the 'convenience' -- I did not see anything on the website. don't have time to look further this AM. Distribution by PA region was listed above....

[KamikazeKnifer]

It looks like they used random digit dialing of cellphone/landlines to collect a sample, if anything, would bias the sample in favor of conservative gun owners. I don't really see any faults in their sampling.

The response SET is what's disturbing. There's literally no room for variation - respondents were given TWO possible options (DK/NA doesn't count for all intents and purposes). So, in the "support" responses you have people who "kind of support" and people who fanatically support. Scalar responses would be better - I'm guessing most people were around the center of the distribution and were forced to pick either one or the other.

[TXDMERC73]

Those polls are so full of shit, probably half of the polls was voted by anti's. why dont they make an open poll on the internet see how well they fare, we got 25,000 members on this forum so thats 25K votes against theirs.

[fortysix]

Most people don't know what an assault weapon is. Most people could not pick the semi AR from a lineup of 30 rifles taken from an armory.

Most people don't know what a clip or magazine are and why they are not the same thing.

Most people have not in their lives touched a firearm.

Most people do not know what the current laws are nor what the current restrictions are on purchase, possession, sale, manufacture.

Most people do not know the statistics of how many prosecutions are carried out on gun related offenses versus how many are not prosecuted (instead plead down).

Most people do not know what percentage of *gun deaths* are suicides and feature no danger whatsoever to them.

People answering questions like *do you think the laws covering the sale of guns* are not qualified, because they do not know what the laws are.

People answering questions about bans on sales of assault weapons are not qualified, they do not know what an assault weapon is (if there is indeed such a thing), nor do they know what types of firearms are currently legal or not.

People answering questions about whether any type of firearm makes *the country* safer or more dangerous are not qualified, as most people are not military strategists who understand global military capabilities or activities.

People answering questions about background checks themselves are admitting they likely know nothing about it, because there are already background checks for most gun buyers, and even moreso, most people have never seen any of the forms nor do they know any steps in the process.



Such a poll is self-serving. One knows all the above facts, yet asks the questions anyway, and then pretends that the responses mean anything other than a pile of horseshit.

[bustedmp]

I am pretty sure I heard on NRA News last night that this poll was done primarily in the Philly area. To make it a valid poll of all PA residents, the poll should have included people from all areas of the state, not just a highly restrictive area like Philly. Most, no, all of these polls are set up to get the required outcome. Do a poll in the rural areas, and you would get an overwhelmingly different result! People in major urban areas have been brainwashed by drinking too much Kool Aid passed around by the shepards!

[ChamberedRound]

"Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics..." - Mark Twain

[mongo]

Hey even I support a true assault weapons ban. The lifting of the one enacted in 1986 would greatly devalue my investments in the ACC556, Thompson SMG, Uzi SMG and AR15 FA conversion that I legally own. Of course I could probably easily be talked into dropping my support if I could get some new and less expensive FA range toys.

I'm fairly confident from talking to the average person that most of the people they asked don't have a solid definition of what they are calling an "Assault Weapon". I'd bet most think they are talking about FA stuff.

These questions would be better be asked as "Do you support a Ban on semi-automatic firearms that are functionally the same as traditional hunting arms, but that normally shoot lower powered rounds than are normally used in traditional hunting firearms?" - I bet they'd get a completely different result and the question would be more fair as the definition of so called "Assault Weapons" would be included in the question.

Hey! If all this crap happens your autos won't be worth nothing after they put them in the crusher.

[625]

I'm not sure why so many are surprised by these various polls. I have no trouble believing that most americans (yep lower case a) would want an AWB and a limit on magazine capacity. Look who has been voted POTUS twice even after numerous failures. This isn't the same country many of us grew up in. The leftist machine is steam rolling everything in their way.

I really don't want to get this thread too far off topic, but look at the leftist attack on "non-green" energy, particularly coal and oil. Look at the attacks within the education system, the class warfare, the leftist obsession with race, and on and on. See the leftist attacks on gun owners and the NRA. Look at all the propaganda the leftist media is disseminating. We need to wake up and realize we are the new radicals. We are the extremists. The founding fathers were viewed this way by many, so it's nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, shame is one of the tactics the leftists are using.

We are in a real fight here. The number of people that are completely against any new gun laws seems to be small and getting smaller. I even saw a poll done by FOX news (shhh, don't tell anyone I sometimes watch that channel, because that makes me one of those tea-bag nut jobs) yesterday that showed that a majority of the people they polled believe that we need a new AWB and restrictions on magazines.

[bustedmp]

Those of us that live in rural areas or in small communities are outnumbered by those in major urban areas. Either way, a .22lr or a .44mag responds way faster than 911, and the sheeple just don't get it!

[harty]

Those polls are so full of shit, probably half of the polls was voted by anti's. why dont they make an open poll on the internet see how well they fare, we got 25,000 members on this forum so thats 25K votes against theirs.

Its true these polls are full of shit and sway to one side. Lived in Philly most of my life and know most of the people I am friends with do not favor bans. But have you ever saw the news when they ask these idiots if they favor bans and tougher gun laws. I swear I have heard these people who say they are in favor of one all say the same thing "if a person has a gun and is shooting at you and then you take out a gun and shoot at them what does that solve". WTF that says it all, so take away my right to defend myself and I become the victim and the criminal the victor. What logical person would not want to at least have the opportunity to protect or save their life, someone they love or an innocent persons life. Of course we arent dealing with sane, logical or educated people.