A recent poll done by Reuters/Ipsos, “found that the National Rifle Association (NRA) was viewed favorably by 68% of Americans, and unfavorably by 32%,” Second Amendment author David Kopel recently noted in a column for the online news source, The Volokh Conspiracy.
“Unlike most polls, the Reuters poll apparently did not allow ‘unsure' or ‘undecided' as a choice. In each of the demographics which the poll provided-Republicans, Democrats, independents, whites, and blacks-the NRA was viewed favorably by at least 55%.”
Over the last two decades, America's view of the NRA has become increasingly positive. Kopel noted that, “A 2005 Gallup Poll had found a 60/34 favorable/unfavorable view of the NRA. Previous Gallup results were 52/39 (May 2000), 51/39 (April 2000), 51/40 (April 1999, right after the Columbine High School murders), 42/51 (June 1995), and 55/32 (March 1993).”
Kopel also compared the relationship between country's views of the NRA and its feelings about handgun control. A 2011 Gallup poll found that 73 percent of Americans did not support laws which would ban handguns, a record.
“As American public opinion has evolved from a majority to a super-majority which supports the right to own a handgun, public opinion has likewise moved towards a super-majority with a favorable view of the NRA.”
Kopel's conclusion:Â “Founded in 1871, the NRA views itself as ‘America's oldest civil rights organization,' an embodiment of American freedom values. These days, it seems that most Americans tend to agree.”
–Brian McCombie
