CBS News Offers Surprising Headline
Last Friday CBS News offered a headline that had us turning our head, “Poll: Most oppose assault weapon ban.” CBS News is certainly one to watch. Not only was it this news organization that helped break Fast and Furious, but now it is reporting the facts about the findings of a Gallup poll instead of trying to put a spin on it that suggests something else.
A couple of key points that we also find worth noting:
“It’s difficult to monitor gun ownership in this country, and the latest increase in self-reported gun ownership could reflect more of a change in Americans’ comfort with stating publicly that they have a gun, than in a real increase in gun ownership.”
“President Obama has said little about the subject publicly, frustrating gun violence prevention advocates like Colin Goddard, who was shot four times during the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre.”
Both are interesting points, but we wish that CBS News would have noted that President Obama has stated that he is working on gun control, but “under the radar.”
Huff and Puff Responds to Gallup Poll
While the media has been mostly silent on the findings of the Gallup poll, which suggests fewer Americans are in favor of gun control, many liberal and left-leaning bloggers, websites and news outlets felt necessary to put a spin on it. Clearly they’re either “shocked” by the findings or just convinced there is a way to explain those findings in a way they like.
Writing for The Huffington Post Margie Omero, Democratic pollster, and president of Momentum Analysis suggests that the poll’s findings are somehow wrong. She writes:
“By tracking opinions toward a handgun ban, and by looking at only a few broad questions, news and polling outlets are missing a clear and important pattern: There is widespread support for a variety of gun laws.”
No, that is not what the findings of the poll suggested. This is a twist on it. We should also add that in the copy Omero notes this point:
“In my firm’s work this year for Mayors Against Illegal Guns…”
So in other words, this op-ed is biased out of the gate, as Omero has worked with a notable anti-gun and gun control organization. How can anything she writes not be questioned? Well let’s look at few more points:
“Now, after decades have passed without any new movement on a handgun ban, a clear majority say there should not be such a law. Voters’ opinions on this likely reflect the political debate, as much as the political debate reflects public opinion.”
She adds:
“A second question shows a similar, but less dramatic pattern. It asks ‘Are you for or against a law which would make it illegal to manufacture, sell, or possess semiautomatic guns known as assault rifles?’ A slight majority (53%) are now opposed to such a law, mirroring, perhaps, the lack of a major public debate on the topic.”
What she is trying to say is that there is no debate on the issue so therefore Americans must be too stupid to think about gun control. If there leaders are screaming about it, Americans aren’t in favor it.
And finally she puts this spin on it:
“Despite hyperbolic coverage highlighting political divisions, voters are actually quite united on guns. Large numbers want to see guns out of dangerous hands, better cooperation between law enforcement agencies, concealed gun permits extended only to those meeting a state’s requirements.”
Yes, voters are quite united on guns… no one wants to see guns in the hands of criminals, and we think following the ATF Fast and Furious debacle there needs to be better cooperation among law enforcement. But what the writer wants the reader to think is that we are all in favor of gun control. This is a subtle bias, but one we see right through.
Media Matters Tries to Claim Americans Want Gun Control
Liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America tried to put an anti-gun spin on the findings from a Gallup poll. The crew over at Media Matters must not have liked the results, so instead of letting it go, they instead offered some interesting thoughts:
“Indeed, another question included in Gallup’s poll demonstrates robust support for gun violence prevention legislation. 77 percent of respondents feel that the laws covering the sales of firearms should either be stricter or kept as they are now, with only 11 percent calling for them to be weakened. In other words, the vast majority of Americans support reasonable gun control measures; only a small fraction is actually opposed to gun control.”
That isn’t exactly what the poll suggests that “only a small fraction is actually opposed to gun control.” Even Gallup noted:
“In 1991, 68% of Americans favored stricter gun laws and 43% favored a ban on handguns. Those percentages are 43% and 26%, respectively, today.”
But again here is where the media – or in this case a “media watchdog” – doesn’t like the findings and will put its own spin on it. Read more
CNN Asks “Why is support for gun control at record lows?
This week Gallup announced the findings of a new poll that suggested that Americans are against gun control, and CNN covered this by putting a negative spin that asked, “Why is support for gun control at record lows?” This is a subtle bias, but a bias nonetheless. Jack Cafferty, who offered the question in his column, further noted:
“What’s interesting here is Americans are shifting to a more pro-gun stance despite high profile incidents of gun violence – like the Arizona shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others.”
These events actually make Americans feel less safe, and while he is correct in stating that these are “high profile,” they are the rare exception to the rule. The truth is that Americans are waking up to the fact that we could very easily lose our Second Amendment rights.
And let’s consider one other point he makes:
“Only Democrats, Eastern residents and those without guns in their homes still favor stricter gun laws.”
First, we disagree that “Democrats” are anti-gun or in favor of gun control. Perhaps “Liberals” are anti-gun but as a seasoned newsman Cafferty should know better than to confuse Democrats with Liberals. But let’s consider the other point: “Eastern residents” – as in those in Boston and New York City – the latter where much of the media is based. This certainly is a good point, as those in New York City are often brainwashed against guns, and the very Liberal attitude causes people to be anti-gun. This in turn causes the bias in the media and the cycle begins anew.
As we’ve long maintained, New Yorkers – including the New York based media – tend to be out of touch with the country, and often believe that their liberal views are those of all Americans. But the Gallup poll now suggests otherwise.
NRA News: Gallup: Record-Low 26% in U.S. Favor Handgun Ban
Cam Edwards talks to Frank Newport, Editor-in-Chief of the Gallup Poll – NRA News
SAF Responds to Gallup Poll Findings
Second Amendment Foundation:
According to Gallup, only 26 percent of Americans favor a handgun ban. The annual Gallup Crime poll was conducted Oct. 6-9. Read more
Miami Herald Offers Dim Headline, Skews Facts
In noting the 30th anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan, The Miami Herald offered the headline, “30 years after Reagan shot, outlook dim for gun control.”
The paper noted:
“The public remains sharply divided, largely along geographic lines, over gun rights vs. gun control. Gun-rights groups, led by the National Rifle Association, dramatically outspend gun-control organizations on campaign donations and lobbying. President Barack Obama, though he urged gun-control action in an essay March 13 in the Arizona Daily Star newspaper, hasn’t made a strong push. Congress is likely to remain preoccupied with budget battles, with lawmakers unlikely to tackle the divisive issue of guns.”
This is a serious misread of the situation. It isn’t that the NRA outspends gun-control organizations, it is also that the NRA has more members – namely more American voters. The story also picks and chooses the data it wants to use to make an anti-gun case. Consider this passage:
“A Pew Research Center poll taken Aug. 25-Sept. 6 found that in the East, 60 percent favored gun control while 36 percent supported gun rights. In the Midwest, 52 percent backed gun rights, and 44 percent preferred gun control. The South was split, though the tally was 61 percent to 36 percent for gun rights in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. The poll surveyed 3,509 people; its margin of error is 2 percentage points.”
Contrast that to a Rasmussen poll Jan. 10-11, just days after the shootings, which found:
“Only 29 percent of adults think stricter gun control laws would help prevent shootings like the one in Arizona last Saturday. Sixty-two percent disagree and say stronger gun control would not make a difference.”
Big difference. And then there was this Gallup poll from last November:
“For the second year in a row, a record-low 44% of Americans say laws governing the sale of firearms should be made more strict, while 42% say gun laws should be kept as they are now. Twelve percent say gun laws should be made less strict.”
It is interesting how the media skews numbers isn’t it?
Rasmussen Reports Poll Mirrors Gallup Findings
We previously noted that the findings from a recent Gallup Poll show that fewer Americans are calling on stricter gun control. Now the NRA has reported that the results from a just-released Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that, more and more, Americans are in support of the Second Amendment and its individual guarantee of law-abiding citizens to Keep and Bear Arms, and oppose more restrictions on that right.
Among the surveys highlights:
- Only 39% of Americans say the United States needs stricter gun control;
- 50% are opposed to stricter gun control laws and 11% are not sure;
- 69% of adults say city governments do not have the right to prevent citizens from owning handguns;
- 87% of Republicans, 52% of Democrats, and 72% of “unaffiliateds” say cities do not have the right to ban handgun ownership;
- 71% of Americans continue to believe that the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right of an average citizen to own a gun, and;
- 63% of voters agreed with the Supreme Court’s landmark District of Columbia v. Heller decision, saying the Second Amendment granted individuals the right to own a gun for self-defense.
CNN Weighs in on Gallup Poll
Thank you to Jack Cafferty at CNN.com, who so far is among the only major voices in the mainstream media to address that President Obama has been a critic of guns. While the MSM has repeatedly pushed the story that Obama hasn’t signed new legislation or actually even said much about guns, Cafferty reminds us that the POTUS isn’t a friend of the gun lobby:
“Nonetheless, gun rights advocates point to Mr. Obama’s record as a state legislator and U.S. senator where he ‘voted for the most stringent forms of gun control.’”
But we must disagree a bit with Cafferty on the point he makes on gun and ammunition sales, when he cites the Gallup poll that found that a “majority” (Cafferty’s word) of gun owners feared that Obama would take their guns:
“It also helps explain the sharp increases in sales of guns and ammunition.”
Why hasn’t anyone in the MSM addressed that the MSM keeps talking about ammo shortages. This is probably why the ammo shortage continues! Stop talking about it, and sales could fall.
Politics Daily Also Weighs in on Gallup Poll
According to PoliticsDaily.com “Four in 10 Americans Fear Obama Will Ban Gun Sales,” which is still a far cry from the reporting by The Christian Science Monitor (see previous post). But it is interesting to see how differently the story is reported. Notice this passage:
” A majority — 52 percent — don’t believe Obama will try to ban gun sales.”
So who we do believe? It becomes more of an issue when we look at other reporting, such as that from ShortNews.com, which took the approach of the CSM:
“Most Gun Owners Think Obama Will Try to Ban Gun Sales”
Another example of how the media can put their own spin on a story, using just facts but paint a very distributing picture of gun owners. But hey, that’s why we’re here!
