By Dave Workman
Senior Editor
A recent Rasmussen poll found that a majority of American adults “remain unconcerned about their safety around those who have legal permits to carry concealed weapons, with 37% who are Not At All Concerned.”
A second survey revealed that a majority of Americans believe that media coverage of mass shootings “inspires others to commit violence.”
According to Rasmussen, 57 percent of Americans “remain unconcerned about their safety around those who have legal permits to carry concealed weapons, with 37% who are Not At All Concerned.” Rasmussen also reported that “Forty percent believe the presence of more Americans with concealed carry gun permits will decrease the number of people killed in violent incidents in America.”
That came as no surprise to Alan Gottlieb, executive vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation.
Alan Gottlieb
“In the wake of terrorist attacks in France and California,” he suggested, “more people are realizing that it could be the armed private citizen that provides the first line of defense until police arrive, and that could take several minutes. As Washington, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier recently advised in a CBS interview, ‘If you’re in a position to try to take the gunman down, to take the gunman out, it’s the best option for saving lives before police can get there’.”
The recent national telephone survey revealed that 42 percent of the respondents were concerned about their safety in the presence of concealed carry owners, including 21 percent who are “Very Concerned.”
The Rasmussen report said that middle-aged adults “have the most confidence in those with concealed carry gun permits” and that 59 percent of Republicans “fifty-nine percent of Republicans believe the presence of more Americans with concealed carry gun permits will decrease the number of people killed in violent incidents, but just 25 percent of Democrats and 41 percent of unaffiliateds agree.”
“This suggests that Democrats and liberals still don’t get it about self-defense,” Gottlieb observed. “Maybe they’re more comfortable reading about defenseless people being murdered en masse, rather than having the tools to fight back, provided they’re not the victims.”
But it was the media survey that raised a few eyebrows. According to Rasmussen, “Fifty-one percent of men think the media focus too much on mass murders, a view shared by 43 percent of women. Men are also slightly more likely to think media coverage encourages copycat killers. The older the adult, the more likely he or she is to think media coverage inspires other people to commit violent acts.”
According to the survey, 47 percent of American adults believe the press covers such incidents too much. Only 12 percent say there is not enough press coverage, and 33 percent say coverage is “about right.”
Among the other findings of the concealed carry survey were that men are far more likely to think the presence of more armed citizens will decrease the number of those killed in violent incidents while women were evenly divided on the issue.
Women also tend to worry more than men about being around people who have concealed carry licenses or permits. Gottlieb suggested this is a symptom of the times in which we live.
“San Bernardino has changed the dynamic, and it should seriously change the dialogue about firearms, self-defense and the right to carry,” he stated. “We’ve entered a new era, and waiting for the police to arrive and save us is no longer a viable option.”
Meanwhile, the media survey revealed that 58 percent of the respondents saying they think media coverage of mass murders “inspires other people to commit violent acts.”
“That’s up 13 points from last year,” Rasmussen said in a press release. “Just 19 percent disagree. Twenty-three percent are not sure.”
