U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- One major national survey has revealed the top two voter concerns heading into the midterms are inflation and violent crime, while another poll shows guns are one of the top two concerns of single-issue voters, and that—by a slight margin (47-45%)—more people think Republicans, rather than Democrats should control Congress.
Rasmussen Reports revealed a whopping 85 percent of likely voters “are at least somewhat concerned” about inflation, while 86 percent are at least “somewhat concerned” about violent crime, with “majorities of all political categories – 73% of Republicans, 50% of Democrats and 62% of unaffiliated voters” being “very concerned.”
According to the statista.com website, which tracks justifiable homicides, in 2020—the most recent year for which data is available—law enforcement officers were responsible for 303 justifiable homicides. Private citizens reportedly committed 405 justifiable homicides. It was the second year in a row more people were killed by armed private citizens than police, according to available data.
Interestingly, the FBI Uniform Crime Report for 2019 showed law enforcement officers killed 340 suspects in 2019, of which 334 were fatally shot. The same report said armed private citizens killed 386 criminal suspects, of which 334 were killed with firearms.
Americans continue to buy guns and ammunition, and municipal governments are trying to reverse course, at least somewhat, from their disastrous moves beginning two years ago to reduce funding for law enforcement.
Meanwhile, a new survey done for NBC News asked two critical questions:
- What is your preference for the outcome of this November’s congressional elections — a Congress controlled by Republicans or a Congress controlled by Democrats?
The response was 47 percent prefer a Republican victory while 45 percent want Democrats to retain control.
- Some people feel so strongly about an issue that they will vote for or against a candidate on that basis regardless of the candidate’s stand on most other issues. I’m going to read you a list of issues and ask whether you consider any one issue so important that you would vote for or against a candidate solely on that basis. If you do not feel strongly enough about any of the issues to determine your vote, please just say so.
Guns came in right behind abortion on that front, with only 4 percentage points separating the two issues in terms of importance. Back in May, ten points separated the two issues, probably because at that time, the draft Supreme Court Dobbs decision had already been leaked, while nobody leaked a draft in the case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which was an important gun rights decision affirming the rights to bear arms under the Second Amendment extends outside of the home. People can carry in public places.
Rasmussen’s survey of 1,000 likely voters was conducted Aug. 17-18 with +/- 2 percentage point margin of error and a 95 percent level of confidence.
When Rasmussen narrowed things down to party preference, the polling firm discovered that Democrats’ priorities are abortion rights and climate change, “but these are the issues that both Republicans and unaffiliated voters are least concerned about.”
Interestingly, Rasmussen also found that “More women voters are concerned about violent crime (90%) than abortion rights (75%),” suggesting the vote for Democrats may not be as strong as they anticipate.
Perhaps the most important revelation of all came in the NBC survey, which found, “Nearly three-quarters of Americans think the United States is heading in the wrong direction under President Joe Biden.”
“Biden’s popularity experienced a deep downturn in recent months amid growing pessimism over the economy,” the NBC survey revealed. “Now, a whopping 74 percent of Americans say the country is on the wrong track, while just 21 percent feel the nation is headed in the right direction.”
The poll found 58 percent of respondents are “more worried that America’s best years may already be behind us.” Only 35 percent think the best years are still on the horizon.
With the midterm elections still more than two months away, grassroots gun rights activists still have plenty of work to do if they intend to organize a strong gun vote in November. Polling bounces up and down regarding a perceived lead Republicans have over Democrats, and this can change before the election.
Underscoring this, Fox News is reporting that the anticipated Republican “sweep” in November could be less than that, with the GOP still eking out a majority in the neighborhood of 220 to 248 House seats. It would still cost Democrats the Speaker’s position and put Republicans in charge of determining who sits on key committees and what legislation those committees will consider.
Once again, this demonstrates how Republicans have gained a reputation for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
