Poll: Virginians Want Gun Laws They Don’t Think are Effective

The big takeaway from today’s poll by Roanoke College is that a majority of Virginia voters like the non-partisan way congressional maps are currently drawn and plan on voting against the redistricting amendment that would allow Democrats to gerrymander congressional boundaries and give them a 10-1 advantage in representation.  

As a Virginia resident I’m heartened to see majority opposition to the Democrats’ power grab, but I have to confess I was left scratching my head when I started to read the responses to the poll’s questions on gun control. 

A majority of Virginians support a wide variety of gun control measures, including requiring gun owners to be licensed (71%) and requiring all guns to be registered with the state (67%). Most also support banning semi-automatic rifles (57%), semi-automatic shotguns (52%), and magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition (53%). An even larger share (59%) favor banning guns often referred to as assault rifles, and half (50%) favor banning semi-automatic handguns. However, only 19% support banning all firearms. 

Virginians are nearly evenly split on whether it is more important to protect the rights of Americans to own guns (49%) or to control gun ownership (48%). They also think better enforcement of existing laws (56%) is more likely to reduce gun-related violence than adopting stricter laws (42%). When asked which factor is most responsible for mass shootings, respondents most commonly cited poor mental health policies (52%), followed by weak gun laws (30%) and poor enforcement of gun laws (29%). Almost half (49%) think stricter gun laws would make them safer, but slightly more think it would make no difference (35%) or make them less safe (16%). Virginians are also somewhat skeptical of making it more difficult for citizens to legally carry guns, with 39% saying it would make them safer, 29% saying it would make them less safe, and 32% saying it would make no difference.

Now, the poll’s margin of error is about 4.5 points, which could put support for bans on semi-automatic shotguns, semi-automatic handguns, and magazines that can hold more than ten rounds below 50%. Over-representation from population rich places like Fairfax County, Richmond, and Norfolk could skew the poll even more, but let’s assume for the sake of argument that the poll’s results are at least somewhat indicative of the Commonwealth as a whole. 

Support for most gun bans suggested by the poll is roughly 50%, with a slight majority in favor of a ban on so-called assault riffles and broader support for gun licensing and registration requirements. 

At the same time, a majority of Virginians don’t think that “weak” gun laws are to blame for mass shootings, don’t believe more restrictions on the right to karry would make us safer, and would prefer to see better enforcement of current laws than putting more gun laws on the books.

How can we reconcile these positions that appear to be at odds with one another? I think one primary factor is that none of the questions about bans on firearms or magazines discussed the potential consequences for violating those laws. A non-gun owner might believe in theory that a ban on, say, “large capacity” magazines makes sense, but if you informed them that someone could be locked up for a year just for keeping a magazine they legally purchased, they could easily change their mind. 

According to the poll just 25% of respondents were “very familiar” with Virginia gun laws, and my guess is that number would dip even lower if they were asked how closely they’re following gun control bills introduced this session. 

Another factor are non-gun owners who don’t have a problem with more restrictive gun laws because it doesn’t impact them, even if they don’t believe those laws will do much to improve public safety. It’s easy to take a “better safe than sorry” approach if it isn’t going to affect you personally, but that openness doesn’t mean you think that approach is going to have any real impact. 

Most of the respondents aren’t gun owners. Just 38% said they have a firearm in the home, and a quarter of those who live in a home where a firearm is present do not own the gun themselves. 

That alone could account for some of the confounding results of the poll, and it suggests that Second Amendment groups in the Commonwealth like the Virginia Citizens Defense League and Virginia Shooting Sports Association need to be engaged in educating the non-gun-owning public about current laws and gun control proposals. Admittedly, it’s much more difficult to reach those folks if they’re not already paying attention to the issue, but I’d say it’s still vitally important if we’re going to make support for major infringements on our Second Amendment rights the clear minority position going forward. 

Editor’s Note: The radical left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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