A new survey of Arizona from Public Policy Polling (D) finds an interesting result: This red state wants more gun control — indeed, they favor it more than national surveys have shown since the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) in the Tucson area.
The poll asked: “In general do you think Arizona should have stricter laws concerning who can buy guns or not?” The answer was Yes 55%, No 38%.
As PPP’s Tom Jensen points out: “That’s a higher degree of support for increased gun control in the wake of last month’s shootings in Tucson than national polls are showing. A recent CBS poll showed just 46% of voters across the country in support of tougher laws on guns and ABC and NBC both put the number at 52%.”
The poll also asked: “Do you think the law should restrict those who have been deemed by the courts to be mentally ill from purchasing a handgun or not?” (As the pollster’s analysis notes, this is already prohibited in federal law — but is dependent on the compliance of states and private gun dealers.) The answer: Yes 92%, No 4%.
“Arizona has been a national leader in the gun-rights movement,” writes PPP president Dean Debnam, “but after the Tucson massacre, a lot of the state’s residents realize something needs to change.”
The survey of registered Arizona voters has a ±4% margin of error.
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