2nd Amendment Supreme Court Case: Polls Show Public Split on Gun Rights

By: Jennifer De Pinto
Topics: Polling

In a narrow 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the Second Amendment, the right for individuals to bear arms, extends to state and local laws, not just those at the federal level.

A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press in March of this year shows Americans to be split on whether state and local governments should be able to pass laws banning handguns. Forty-five percent said they should be able to do so, but 50 percent said they should not.

The CBS News Poll has asked about gun laws generally over the years and recent polling shows the public divided in their views of gun control laws. A CBS News/New York Times Poll conducted in April found that 40 percent of Americans think gun control laws should be made more strict, while 42 percemt think those laws should be kept as they are. Few (16 percent) think laws covering guns should be made less strict.

Support for stricter gun control laws has declined over the years, and the April poll finds support to be at its lowest level since CBS News began asking the question in 1994. Back then, 59 percent of Americans wanted gun control laws to be more strict, compared to 40 percent today.

As might be expected, opinions differ by party affiliation. Nearly six in 10 Democrats favor stricter gun laws, while just 22 percent of Republicans hold that view. And geography matters too - 63 percent of those living in the Northeast want gun control laws to be made more strict - the only region where a majority has that opinion. Americans in other regions of the country are more inclined to keep gun control laws as they are.

Gender plays a role as well, with women (50 percent) more likely than men (29 percent) to favor stricter gun control laws.

Americans who live in a household where someone owns a gun are especially opposed to making gun control laws more strict. Just one in five want stricter gun laws, while 54 percent think gun laws should be kept as they are. Another 24 percent of gun owners want laws covering guns to be made less strict.

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Jennifer De Pinto is manager of election and survey information for CBS News. Click here for more of her posts in Hotsheet.

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by mjlewis6 November 30, 2010 1:29 PM EST: By some of the commentary above, most Americans agreed with the Supreme Court when it unanimously ruled a slave was still a slave even when fleeing into a "free state" in the United States and hence, could be apprehended and returned to his "master.'

Supreme Court and local/state laws be damned, you have to protect yourself not only from the criminals...but the "legal" ones as well.; Reply to this comment


by cristeeyan October 5, 2010 10:27 PM EDT: personally I don't think that it's such a bad idea to have an arm in your home for safety reasons, but then there are some people that abuse the power of having a permit to possess a gun. They end up making a mistake. Knowing that you have family and other important things in life i think there are some people that should think twice about having use a gun in an inappropriate manner; Reply to this comment


by borg99 August 11, 2010 6:41 PM EDT: Gun nuts can't tell the difference between their guns and their wankers. Gun nuttiness is ALL about castration anxiety. They think that if they don't have a gun, they've been gelded. Very sick puppies.; Reply to this comment


by j40405 August 11, 2010 6:15 PM EDT: Gun laws only prohibit law abiding citizens from protecting themselves. Can no one in America realize this. Criminals are what they are because they "disobey" the law. So gun laws make no difference to them. Gun laws only hurt law adbiding citizens.; Reply to this comment

by saturn05 July 9, 2010 12:16 PM EDT

I guess I am an idiot. Why shouldn't there be gun laws? There are laws regarding when you can drink,when you can smoke, when you can drive. We are told that we have to insure and license our car. We have to prove our citizenship when we apply for a job or to get a license. We have to have the license to drive. So why not a license to own a killing apparatus? A guns purpose is to protect and in essence kill or injure. I think that there is nothing wrong with making people license their guns. This doesn't mean you can't own them(unless you are a criminal or ex-con). You just need to license them. I definitely would vote for tougher licensing laws, sorry NRA members.

Reply to this comment


by bhappy2-2 July 12, 2010 1:50 PM EDT: I guess I am an idiot. I would have to agree with you there; you ARE an idiot.

Why shouldn't there be gun laws? There ARE gun laws. The thing is, only LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS obey them. The CRIMINALS in our society IGNORE THEM on a daily basis.

There are laws regarding when you can drink,when you can smoke, when you can drive. We are told that we have to insure and license our car. NONE of those are Constitutional Rights, either. These are all PRIVILEGES allowed and controlled by the government. They can revoke those privileges at any time, without consequence.

We have to prove our citizenship when we apply for a job or to get a license. We have to have the license to drive.
Again, NOT a Constitutional Right.

So why not a license to own a killing apparatus?
Just what part of 'the RIGHT of the PEOPLE to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED' did you NOT understand? This includes the ridiculous requirement to PAY for a license, limit the number of times the RIGHT can be exercised at any given time or the AREA where it is alright to exercise your RIGHT.

What if your government decided to enact a law declaring that no church shall be in operation within 20 miles of any town, open only one day per week and only for 2 hours on that day? What if they decided you only have a right to free speech on Monday (5AM to 7AM) Wednesday (7AM to 9AM) and Friday (6PM to 8PM) and you can only exercise that right once per week? Would THAT be alright? Why not? I mean, it only limits your rights A LITTLE BIT. It only INFRINGES on your rights SOME OF THE TIME.


by lonnie_sand September 27, 2010 9:55 PM EDT: Are you listening to your own words? All of the laws you cited are an infringment on the civil rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution. The only unregistered weapons in the US are owned by the CRIMINALS!! When you have all of your rights restricted and are complaining about a government out of control, just don't come to those of us who value our right to bear arms for protection. Attitudes like yours are exactly why we are losing our rights now.


by Mojavegrean July 1, 2010 2:54 PM EDT: We do not need gun control laws. They have proven to be in effective. All you have to do is look at places that have strick gun laws like Chago, LA, NYC, SF and see. Then look at places that have laxed gun control laws like Kennisaw GA, TX, and soon AZ. Criminals do not obey gun laws or any other law. Which is why we have crime. Only law abiding individuals will ever obey laws. So who is it really that these laws actually harm? The only thing that needs to be done is this. When someone uses a weapon in the comission of a crime punish them severely. Here is a question for you. You are out on the town and find your self being followed by a aids infested rapist or a pos loser gangbanger out for their fix or to get your money. What would be more effective.

A. a condom
B. giving them your wallet so that they now know where you live.
C. A fully charged cell phone so you can call the police. Who are only minutes away and have absolutly zero obligation to respond to your aid. (SCOTUS Ruling)
D. a Dakota Colt that fires a 45 Long Colt Cartridge.
E. your 3oz bottle of pepper spray or stun gun

with me options A and B you can forget about. Option C nope. I call 911 to report a shooting and was told they cant come because it was too dangerous for them. On a later date I called them to report a loud party at 1 am. They said they dont do party calls. When I was going to sue the county for denial of emergency services I quicly discovered that legally the Police do not have to resopnd nor does any other emergency services. Do the research I encourage it. SCOTUS ruled a few years back that safety and security is the sole obligation of the private citizen and not that of law enforcement or any other agency. In other words if you value your life or that of your family. You will need to take steps to ensure their safety and security as it is your obligation and no one elses. Again do the research. Option E isnt good as you have to think about wind and range while hoping to hit a sensitave location on the person. And I bet most of you spray and prayers dont even have any training what so ever on how to use it. Heres a clue. The contents is edible. Don't hesitate to spray that stuff right down their throats. Its only industrial strength hotsauce. As for the stun gun. most of them require that you have personal contact with the pos that is trying to do harm. My option is D. Why? not because I want to shoot someone, Believe it or not I hope I never have to. A firearm does 4 things. One it lets the pos know that you are armed and that they may die if they continue. 2 you have stand off advantage meaning that you don't need to get up close and personal. 3. more often than not the mere presence of a firearm when its pulled will deture most criminals. and 4. if you need to you can put a serious damper in their plans and you only shoot when you are certain you will hit the pos. You can always yell so that others know hwhat is going on so that they will take cover or clear out of the way. It's your life. You choose how valuable it is.; Reply to this comment


by Continental_Soldier June 29, 2010 1:43 PM EDT: Keep it up drive-by media. Soon you will have no viewership. These ridiculous reports slanted with a liberal bias are not journalism. They are cheap editorials.

Broadcast Evening Newscasts Lose More than 1 Million Viewers in Past Year

In numbers released today, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams lost -440,000 viewers (-140k in A25-54 demo) compared to Q2 2009. ABC's World News with Diane Sawyer lost -260,000 viewers (-80k demo) (Charlie Gibson was anchor in 2009). The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric lost the most, based on a percentage, losing -340,000 viewers (30k demo) compared to Q2 2009. ABC and CBS were also down when Q2 2008 is compared to Q2 2009.

Numbers for Q2 2010:
NBC ABC CBS
? Total: 7,620,000 6,990,000 5,210,000
? A25-54: 2,260,000 1,980,000 1,600,000

Numbers for Q2 2009
NBC ABC CBS
? Total: 8,060,000 7,260,000 5,550,000
? A25-54: 2,400,000 2,060,000 1,630,000; Reply to this comment


by TVO1CITW June 29, 2010 10:05 AM EDT: The law prohibits felons to own a gun. We can do spot checks of these felons and keep them honest. Unfortunately, cops can't ask or do because of the profiling sissy liberals bleeding hearts that prevent everything so they can live a corrupt life. If you want larger government, put your money where it counts most; in cops. Then let them keep the peace so good people can enjoy the freedoms of America.; Reply to this comment


by marin3132 June 29, 2010 10:03 AM EDT: this is crap i wish the four fathers were still alive to see what the hell is going on in this country; Reply to this comment


by beersyourfriend June 28, 2010 8:06 PM EDT: Finally, Our 2nd Amendment holds true!

*Thank You, to Everyone who supports the National Rifle Association, to make all this possible! The NRA, is a great organization, that I'm proud to be apart of, and so should you.

We have always had the right, to bare arms, simply because it is an Amendment!

Many Innocent people have been killed, or arrested, because they could not pull the trigger. It is sad, to see states, who could not even own a gun. But, now they can!!!

How can our Government Infringe, about a Law, that is our right? We have all the right to respect, follow, and handle our Amendments! NO One, should be prosecuted, because one state says No, while the State next door allows it.

The Governments Control over issues, is what is killing People today. They put the fear of God in you, saying you will go to jail, if you did not defend yourself, in the proper way... What, a guy coming at you with a Gun, and you having to use a Bat, is insane!

So, many people have been killed, because they didn't know how to handle a life or death situation. For our Government to stand in the way, and say, "No, you cannot kill self defense, using a Gun", makes absolutely no sense, whatsoever!

Please support the NRA, and their help, to defend our 2nd Amendment Right!

The right to carry, in states, and over federal laws, don't always last in Government! This is why, a lot of states, started banning arms, and could happen again.

I do see a good future with our gun laws, because people are finally understanding the importance of what our four fathers, wrote into law. They actually cared for us Americans back then, giving us our right to life, when in a situation where someone wants to take your life.

So, for the people out there, who do not respect our 2nd Amendment, I ask this... When someone breaks into your home, think about your family first, then decide to grab a Bat, or a Gun... (Your Call)

Peace!
-Matt; Reply to this comment