The president and the guns

There's a very strong correlation between Obama's popularity and approval of effective gun control measures.  The president's popularity is strong at this point.  The favorable rating for gun control is almost identical.

Want to know how people feel about President Obama's gun control plan?

Simply ask whether they approve or disapprove of how the president and his administration are doing their job. The two questions are nearly perfectly linked, and that could have major consequences for the future of gun control legislation.

The latest ABC/Washington Post polls prove the strong relationship. Many individual gun proposals are highly popular. In fact, seven tested gun measures, including background checks and bans on assault weapons and semi-automatic handguns, have majority support ranging from 51% to 88%.

When you attach Obama's name by calling it "Barack Obama's proposals", the Post discovered that 53% of Americans favor the proposals – nearly identical to Obama's approval rating of 55% in a separate Post poll last week. Gallup found the same, with 53% in favor of Obama's gun control plan, compared to his monthly approval rating of 52%.

Drill down to specific demographics and the link between approval of the gun plan and approval of Obama's administration becomes even clearer. ...Harry Enten, in The Guardian, h/t Political Wire

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The drive to get gun control measures adopted is on.  Stephen King has come out with a "passionate call" for serious gun control... in Kindle.  That's according to the Washington Post this afternoon.

Determined and at times profane, the 8,000-word essay confronts NRA members straight on: “In the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings,” King writes, “gun advocates have to ask themselves if their zeal to protect even the outer limits of gun ownership have anything to do with preserving the Second Amendment as a whole, or if it’s just a stubborn desire to hold onto what they have, and to hell with the collateral damage.”

“I have nothing against gun owners, sport shooters, or hunters,” King writes, but “how many have to die before we will give up these dangerous toys? Do the murders have to be in the mall where you shop? In your own neighborhood? In your own family?” ...WaPo

King is particularly sensitive about guns and kids.  He once published a book about a high school kid who took a gun to school and went on a rampage.  King's novel apparently set off a series of shootings, and the author pulled the book from publication.

Comments

[Richard W. Crews]

well, I kinda' hope this observation is wrong, because there probably will be NO real gun control laws passed. I wish the Democratic or the concerned women of America would stand up and get loud. They outvoted the men, but seem to just show up at the polls.

[PW]

I kinda think that's the case, Richard. What's puzzling is the relationship between the public's mood (I think the polls are probably right) and the public's actions. Or are we talking about the gulf between what America wants and what Congress decides? Vide the filibuster bust.