As NRA Convention Begins, Poll Shows Voters Oppose Pushing Guns in Public

Voters don't want more loaded guns in public places, either carried
openly or concealed, and they're less likely to vote for a candidate
for office who pushes for such policies, according to a poll of
registered voters conducted for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence by highly regarded polling firm Lake Research Partners.

As the National Rifle Association and conservative politicians like Sarah Palin gather in Charlotte with an agenda promoting guns in bars, parks, on college campuses and in coffee houses, Brady Center President Paul Helmke joined with advocates from North Carolinians Against Gun Violence
to share further results of a poll that showed people feel less safe
when people carry loaded guns in public, either openly or concealed.

"The
NRA's leadership, and candidates for office who follow their dictates,
are out of touch with the American people when it comes to guns in
public places," Helmke said. "People want common-sense - not extreme -
policies with regard to guns, and for most Americans this means
stopping the NRA's efforts to have more people carrying loaded guns in
more public places."

"We found strong negative reactions to
more guns in public - both carried openly and concealed - among many
key voting blocks, and stronger-than expected concerns about some of
these policies among gun owners," said Celinda Lake, President of Lake
Research Partners.

Among the findings of the poll of 600 registered voters:

*
A majority of voters (51 percent) would be less likely to support a
candidate who makes it easier for more people to carry guns openly in
public, while just 27 percent would be more likely to support that
candidate. And 63 percent of women are less likely to vote for such a
candidate.

* Fifty-two percent of all voters oppose allowing
loaded guns carried openly in public, and 61 percent of women oppose
open carry of loaded guns in public.

* A solid majority - 56 percent - oppose allowing people to carry concealed weapons in public, including 69 percent of women.

*
Fifty-seven percent feel less safe knowing people can carry loaded
concealed guns in public, with 39 percent feeling strongly about that.

The
strong concern about concealed weapons should worry the NRA and the
candidates who follow their lead. Last year, the NRA aggressively
pushed legislation in the U.S. Senate that would have stripped
virtually every state of the authority to prohibit out-of-state
residents from carrying concealed handguns within its borders. The
so-called Thune Amendment (named for Senator John Thune, R-ND) was
defeated, but the NRA and Senator Thune have pledged to bring it back.
In addition, the NRA this year pushed legislation in states like
Virginia, Arizona and Tennessee to allow concealed weapons permit
holders to take guns into bars.

Yesterday, the Brady Center
released data showing that a solid plurality of gun owners, as well as
a majority of Americans and a strong majority of women - think the
Starbucks Coffee Company should change its policy allowing guns into
its stores. On Wednesday, the Brady Center issued overall numbers
showing public opposition to open carry. The polling data is available
at:

https://www.bradycampaign.org/xshare/bcam/legislation/open_carry/polling-overview-slides.ppt