Gun owners in and out of NRA back some gun policy changes

by David Safier

You may know Frank Luntz. He's the brilliant wordsmith (give the devil his due) who crafts much of the language Republicans use. Along with Luntz's talent, he relies on gathering honest, reliable information about the way people feel about certain issues. Good data tells him how to craft the message.

Luntz conducted a poll of gun owners, half NRA members, half not, and found there is room for some changes in gun policy.

The important starting place is the idea that criminal access to guns can be lowered while protecting gun owners' rights.

83% of NRA members and 73% of non-members agreed with the statement, "Support for Second Amendment rights goes hand-in-hand with keeping illegal guns out of the hands of criminals."

86% of both groups agreed with the statement, "We can do more to stop criminals from getting guns while also protecting the rights of citizens to freely own them."

The two measures both groups looked positively on were criminal background checks at gun shows ( 69% NRA, 85% non_NRA) and gun owners reporting lost or stolen guns to police (78% NRA, 88% non-NRA).

These are areas where we may be able to find some bipartisan agreement.

You can download the complete set of slides and the questionnaire and responses at the Mayors Against Illegal Guns website.