By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
A new Monmouth University poll released this week shows gun control is second from the bottom of a list of nine priority issues with the midterm elections just over two weeks away and American gun owners poised to help take Congress away from Democrats.
At the same time, Rasmussen’s Daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows President Joe Biden’s numbers still trailing, with 44 percent approving of his performance but 54 percent disapproving. This includes only 22 percent who “strongly approve” and 45 percent strongly disapproving.
The top issue concerning voters—certainly including gun owners—is inflation. Their concerns have jumped 9 points since last month, corresponding to the rise in inflation, including gasoline. During the fall months, outdoorsmen and women spend a fair amount of money on fuel just to get back and forth to the field, and then to operate generators and chainsaws. They also are paying more for groceries than at this time last year.
At the bottom of the list for voters is climate change, an indication that the Biden administration’s priorities are at odds with that of American consumers.
Crime is the third highest priority, the Monmouth survey revealed, which likely explains why increasing numbers of Americans are carrying or applying for licenses to carry in the 25 states where a license is still required. Fully half of the states no longer require carry permits or licenses.
It has not been a good year for the Democrats’ gun control agenda, which collided with the Constitution in June as the Supreme Court struck down a century-old restriction in New York requiring carry permit applicants to prove a “good cause” for needing to carry a defensive firearm. In the aftermath, the New York Legislature swiftly adopted a new scheme designed to get around, rather than comply with, the high court’s ruling.
But in recent days, federal judges have smacked down components of that legislation, declaring it unconstitutional. This week, the Second Amendment Foundation obtained a temporary restraining order from a federal judge in Buffalo, derailing places of worship to be “sensitive places” where even legally concealed handguns are prohibited. The speed with which Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. handed down his TRO surprised many, and SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb was delighted. It took only three days for the judge to rule. SAF filed its initial lawsuit earlier this month.
“Ample Supreme Court precedent addressing the individual’s right to keep and bear arms—from Heller and McDonald to its June 22 decision in Bruen—dictates that New York’s place of worship restriction is…unconstitutional,” Judge Sinatra wrote.
Now, with the midterm elections looming and pollsters predicting Republicans could take over the House and possibly the U.S. Senate, the likelihood is increasing that Biden’s gun control agenda is about to crash.
