New polls published in recent days amount to a shot across the bow for President Joe Biden and anti-gun Democrats on Capitol Hill, with strong signals of a looming defeat for the Party of Gun Prohibition.
A New York Times/Siena College/Philadelphia Inquirer poll shows Biden losing in four of five critical states the president won in 2020, with former President Donald Trump now ahead in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Biden is barely ahead in Michigan, and that could change between now and Election Day since the Great Lake State has a large gun owner population.
Then comes the latest Rasmussen survey, showing likely U.S. voters trust Republicans more than Democrats on several key issues. Rasmussen pollsters discovered that 51 percent of voters trust Republicans more to handle the economy, while only 39 percent trust Democrats. On immigration, 54 percent trust the GOP, while only 35 percent trust Democrats.
This comes just days after a separate Rasmussen survey revealed 53 percent of likely voters trust Republicans more than Democrats when it comes to dealing with crime and law enforcement issues. Only 35 percent trust Democrats more. According to Rasmussen, “This marks a net increase of six points in the GOP margin since February, when Republicans led Democrats by 12 points, 48% to 36%, on the crime issue.”
The earlier poll shows likely voters, by “almost a 4-to-1 margin,” think the problem of violent crime in America is getting worse (61%) than those who think things are improving (16%).
Another signal from the crime survey: A whopping 79 percent of voters say the issue of crime will be important in this year’s presidential election, including 45 percent who expect the crime issue to be “very important.”
Then comes Rasmussen’s “Right Track/Wrong Direction” survey showing only 28 percent of likely voters think the U.S. is on the right track, while 67 percent believe the country is heading in the wrong direction.
A microcosm of this situation may be found in Washington State’s gubernatorial election, where Democrat Attorney General Bob Ferguson—who has championed restrictive gun control laws including a ban on so-called “assault weapons” and “large-capacity magazines” over the past two years while being perceived as soft on crime—is facing a serious challenge by Republican Dave Reichert, a former seven-term member of Congress and before that, a no-nonsense sheriff on whose watch the notorious “Green River Killer” was captured and convicted.
Ferguson made headlines this week by playing the victim in a surreal campaign twist when two other men also named Bob Ferguson filed to run for governor as Democrats. On Monday, Ferguson held a news event during which he, and former King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, strongly hinted at criminal prosecution of the two men for violating a state law regarding candidates with the same name. Both men subsequently withdrew from the race, but Ferguson may not have scored any political points.
Back to Biden’s predicament, Fox News noted Trump is up by six points in Arizona, nine points in Georgia and 13 points in Nevada.
Under Biden, gun control has been an issue since before he was sworn into office in 2021. Second Amendment activists say Biden has “weaponized” the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to go after gun owners with restrictive regulations such as reversing decades of policy on private gun sales and on how a firearm is defined.
The Second Amendment Foundation’s repeated use of a Biden remark during a CNN Townhall almost three years ago has revealed the president’s agenda. He acknowledged trying to ban the sale of “assault weapons” and even 9mm pistols.
However, in order for all of this to translate to a change of occupancy at the White House, and a change of power on Capitol Hill, gun owners will have to vote in November. Unfortunately, gun owner apathy at election time is a traditional problem.
Between now and then, every gun owner needs to confirm his/her voter registration at their current address. Sign up for an absentee ballot if the election falls on a day you may be on a hunting trip.
No doubt with the National Rifle Association gathering in Dallas, Texas this weekend for its 153rd annual meetings and exhibits. The event is being held in the Kay Baily Hutchison Convention Center. Trump is scheduled to speak at the event.
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
