A new Zogby poll released July 6 shows that Independents align with the GOP on guns, supporting gun rights over gun control.
This is a continuation of what Breitbart News reported in the months leading up the 2014 midterm elections, where polls showed that Independents were navigating away from gun control and toward gun rights.
According to Zogby, the new poll contained two statements that were presented to respondents on June 23-24, and respondents were asked to decide which better represented them.
Statement A: One side says there are too many guns in circulation in the US and without universal background checks, which close the ‘gun-show loopholes’ and federal registration for all firearms purchases, not to mention outright banning high capacity magazine weapons like semi-automatics, there will continue to be more opportunities for violent and mentally ill people to get guns and kill innocent people.
Statement B: Others say that the Second amendment is designed to allow all Americans to protect themselves from potential harm, to ensure that law enforcement agencies and the government do not have a monopoly on gun possession, and that there are already laws to protect people against criminal behavior. Supporters of the Second amendment and pro-gun groups also point to areas of the country where concealed carry laws have been passed and crime rates have decreased.
The vast majority of Republican respondents–“65 percent”–chose B. They were joined by Independents who chose B over A by a margin of “45 percent to 36 percent.”
On the other hand, Democrats sided nearly three to one for gun control over gun rights. The margin was “60 percent to 22 percent.”
The GOP did not simply defeat gun control Democrats in November 2014, they shellacked them. And the continued Independent support of gun rights over gun control keeps the GOP in position to repeat those wins, as long as they stand strong for guns and the Second Amendment between now and 2016.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.