In a Suffolk University/USA TODAY survey released on Tuesday, Americans said they do not want gun control to be a “significant subject” in the 2016 elections, by a margin of 52 to 43.
The survey was conducted from June 25 to June 29, just over a week after the heinous attack in Charleston by alleged gunman Dylann Roof.
According to Suffolk University, in addition to not wanting to hear about gun control in 2016, a majority of Americans do not believe increasing gun control via expanded background checks will curb mass violence. Fifty-six percent of respondents said it would not, while only 40 percent of respondents said it would.
This makes sense, when you consider that Roof allegedly purchased his gun via a background check at a Charleston gun store.
This poll comes nearly seven months after a PEW Research Poll showed that American attitudes toward gun control had shifted to a place where the majority of Americans wanted protection of gun rights rather than passage of more gun control. Released on December 10, the PEW Poll showed that 52 percent of Americans were concerned with protecting gun rights while 46 percent were concerned with passing more gun control.
The PEW Poll was maligned as an aberration by gun control groups and criticized for asking poorly worded questions by Bloomberg researchers and the Huffington Post.
It is interesting to note that the Suffolk University/USA Today survey not only backs up PEW’s findings but shows a widening chasm between gun control and gun rights, with the majority of Americans not even interested in seeing candidates spend a lot time talking about gun control in 2016.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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