The results of a new Elway Poll released Tuesday on public support for dueling initiatives 591 and 594 showed the numbers about where gun rights advocates expected them to be—with strong support for both measures—and there was an additional revelation that explains why gun owners don’t trust Democrats.
According to the poll, by a 74-20 percent margin, far more Republicans think protecting gun rights is more important than controlling gun ownership. Meanwhile, by a 55-34 percent margin, more Democrats think controlling gun ownership is more important than protecting gun rights.
The poll shows 72 percent of the 504 voters who responded indicated they would likely vote for I-594, the 18-page gun control measure being marketed as a so-called “universal background check” proposal.
Another 55 percent back I-591 and are “inclined” to vote for it.
And 40 percent of the poll respondents said they were “inclined to vote for both measures,” Elway reported.
There may be some confusion about the measures, Elway suggested, but there is no confusion about public support for some form of background check. With six more than months between now and the November election, it will be up to proponents of both initiatives to convince voters to pass their measures.
Curiously, it apparently does not matter to background check supporters that the gunmen in nearly all recent major mass shootings passed background checks because they purchased their firearms at retail. None of them got guns at gun shows or via the Internet, where proponents of “universal background checks” contend there are giant loopholes that allow mass shooters and other criminals to obtain firearms without checks.
For more on this issue, read Seattle Gun Rights Examiner.
