What percentage is ANTI-GUN?

[stud40111]

What percentage of the public do you guys think is ANTI-GUN, not just merely ambivalent about them?

I'd be interested in knowing this because of the number is relatively small, most of us gun owners should focus the bulk of our attention on convincing the ambivalent to try out and, potentially, get into the hobby of guns, either as hunters, competitive shooters, tacticool-upgrade junkies, collectors, etc. in addition to the most reasonable reason for owning a gun, i.e. defense of oneself and family.

So, having said that, again I ask, what percentage of the public here in the U.S. do you believe is anti-gun?

[OwnTheRide]

I figure 10% are truly anti, and that there's a lot of ambivalent people whose language suggests they are anti when they're actually just uninformed.

From what I've read here (and I have read a LOT here), one of the best ways to engage "the ambivalents" is OC.

[sprrdhawk44]

I'd go higher than 10 percent, guessing probably around 25 percent. Gallup just did their annual "how many think handguns should only be allowed to be owned by trained individuals" poll and 25 percent voted in the affirmative. Then again, it's a poll just like all the rest. YMMV.

[silvertiger27]

Still, most of that 25 percent could just be answering on gut reaction, sort of a twitch-response since they're brainwashed day and night by the mainstream media to think that way. Even mild real life experience could turn them to our side. Since moving to PA from NJ, I've had a couple of relatives over after prodding them to go shooting with me, and they've loosened up whereas they used to belong to that 25 percent.

[bluedog46]

The problem with anti-gun people is that many are in favor of owning guns themselves Like Diane Feinstein and Charles Shumer, but anti-gun for the rest of us.

You then have people who are anti-gun but see the light when something happens to them.

you then have the ones who are truly anti-gun

[MDJschool]

>90%

If PAFOA represents a 'more pro-gun' subsection of the public, and we have so many people here who think machine gun bans, concealed carry licenses, background checks, Terry frisks, or school/courthouse/etc. bans, are okay, I think that the number of anti-gunners among the whole must be insanely high.

[BandanaBandit1]

The way I look at it, if someone is in favor for ANY FORM OF GUN CONTROL they are to some degree, anti gun.





Then again this is just my honest opinion.

[dannyb]

The way I look at it, if someone is in favor for ANY FORM OF GUN CONTROL they are to some degree, anti gun.

Then again this is just my honest opinion.

And there is the problem. Before we can decide what percentage of the US is anti gun, we first need a good definition of anti gun. Is it anybody who supports any kind of restriction as in the quote? Is it just anybody who believes that only the military and police should have guns? Or is it something between those extremes. Until we have a good definition, we're not going to get anywhere on this topic. I personally don't have a good definition other than that those who believe that nobody anywhere should have guns for any reason (our kung fu is better than anyone else's kung fu) are probably beyond the extreme.

[WVBob]

I saw some place that for anything like this you get:

20% anti
20% Not really for
20% It's OK, I have one
20% I'm for and have at least one
20% True Believer

It the loud 20% that make people think guns are bad. We, as True Belivers, have to work on the 40% that are on the fence or not out in the open.

[American1776]

Like others have said, have a look at the polls that were just done. I believe according to the polls, a quarter of the American public favors handgun bans, and a quarter of Americans favor 'assault' weapon bans.

I really think that a big swath of the population doesn't really care. Most people do not find themselves thinking about the 2nd amendment, thinking about firearms, or thinking about tactical responses to lethal force situations. Most people are more worried about the job crisis, economic uncertainty, the elections, what's for dinner, how are we going to pay for car repairs, work sucks, etc.

I think that a small percentage of the public is like us, the true gun-rights people. I think a smaller percentage (maybe the same size, maybe a little smaller) are rabid gun grabbers. The two groups have epic battles, while the majority of the population goes about their business, worrying about other things.

Over course, geographics and demographics really influences these percentages. Ask a New York city resident about handguns, and their eyes will get really big and they'll tell you the evils of guns. Ask a resident of rural Pennsylvania, and they'll invite you to go shooting sometime.