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An August 6 report from Bloomberg News maintained that voters in traditionally Republican suburban districts have come to favor gun control, putting pressure on representatives in those districts either to support gun control or face losing their seats in the next election.
It is no secret that the political landscape in these suburban districts has changed in recent years, a change often attributed to what has been called the “soccer mom vote.”
A December 2017 report in Newsweek cited a poll from Quinnipiac University indicating a “wide gender gap,” with 69 percent of women supporting stricter gun laws, and 26 percent who did not. Men, in contrast, were equally divided, with 47 percent in support of stricter gun laws, and 47 percent opposed.
While gun control cannot be identified as the most significant issue cutting into Republican strength in suburban areas, as the Bloomberg report suggests, it is probably a factor for GOP strategists to take into consideration.
Every time there is a mass shooting incident in the United States, Democrats exploit the tragedies to demand more gun control.
However, the uptick in support for gun control that generally follows the widely publicized mass shootings is mostly just an emotional, knee-jerk response to the flaming rhetoric from the mass media and liberal politicians and tends to stabilize after a short period of time.
A May 2018 article in Bearing Arms cited a Gallup poll released on May 18, 2018 that indicated that the swell in support for gun control after the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, returned to normal within two months. Gallup reported:
Americans’ support for tougher gun laws hit a 25-year high in March. In the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in a March Gallup poll, 67% of Americans indicated their support for tougher restrictions on guns. This was the highest level of support for more stringent gun laws in the U.S. since 1993. Americans’ support for tougher gun laws has generally trended up since the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, and has now returned to levels last seen prior to 2000.
The writer for Bearing Arms noted:
It’s not really surprising, though, when you think about it. After something horrible, people are looking for answers, for something that will make damn sure nothing like this happens again. I get it. This is a reaction that I think is probably pretty normal. Even ardent Second Amendment supporters can start to rethink their positions for a brief time.
When all is said in done, the writer concluded: “People settle down, let things simmer, then realize that guns aren’t really the problem, so their minds change on gun control.”
Warren Mass has served The New American since its launch in 1985 in several capacities, including marketing, editing, and writing. Since retiring from the staff several years ago, he has been a regular contributor to the magazine. Warren writes from Texas and can be reached at [email protected].
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