Poll: 80 percent support licenses for gun buyers in Md

ANNAPOLIS — More than 80 percent of Maryland voters support requiring residents to obtain a license before purchasing a handgun, according to a poll released Wednesday by a gun-control group.

A poll commissioned by Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence found that 81 percent of voters — including 64 percent of Republicans — prefer instituting a policy where would-be gun purchasers would have to get a license and go through fingerprinting, safety training and a criminal background check.

Such a requirement is included in Gov. Martin O'Malley’s gun control bill, which is being considered by the General Assembly and has drawn criticism from Second Amendment advocates.

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This needs to be countered. It would be great if the NRA could sponsor another poll that first informed people that criminals are already prohibited from purchasing guns.

Edit: The question didn't inform people of the $100 fee, or what the current requirements are.

LiberalClassic said:

Link

This needs to be countered. They don't include the poll questions, and I'll bet they are misleading. It would be great if the NRA could sponsor another poll.

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"A poll commissioned by Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence"

Why fingerprinting? I cannot wrap my brain around that at all. Heck, they don't even require fingerprinting for a drivers license, which is a "privilege". And no ID for voting??? Can't believe I live in the Twilight Zone! Someone please enlighten me on the logic of fingerprinting.

csanc123 said:

"A poll commissioned by Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence"

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There was a poll commissioned by MSI recently that supports our stance with numbers.

I want to know WHO ran the poll for Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence.

The poll was conducted by opinionworks.com

ShallNotInfringe said:

Why fingerprinting? I cannot wrap my brain around that at all. Heck, they don't even require fingerprinting for a drivers license, which is a "privilege". And no ID for voting??? Can't believe I live in the Twilight Zone! Someone please enlighten me on the logic of fingerprinting.

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Fingerprinting is to make as many people as possible feel it's not worth it to even try and own a gun.

Their goal is to remove all guns from the public.

I'd love to know how the questions were phrased.

and where the effing poll is, who was polled, how, etc.

vector03 said:

There was a poll commissioned by MSI recently that supports our stance with numbers.

I want to know WHO ran the poll for Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence.

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That poll from MSI needs to be up on the web, that PDF isn't visible to search engines. Google turned up 3 results for it. Patch.com will accept pro-gun bloggers, MSI should take them up on the offer.

QFT:

TO: General Media Distribution/All Interested Parties FROM: Jim Lee, President
RE: (Maryland) Statewide Poll Highlights
DATE: February 6, 2013

Following are three general conclusions summarizing key findings from the statewide telephone poll conducted January 30th-February 2nd with 700 registered (likely) voters in Maryland. Top line survey results are included, as well as a detailed description of the survey methodology (following the top line results).

I. Voters Reaffirm Strong Support for Fundamental Rights of Self-Protection

Voters show nearly unanimous support for reaffirming their constitutional rights to both protect and defend themselves with the use of firearms. They similarly reject the notion that government should have the final say when it comes to decisions about one’s personal choice of firearms. For instance:

• By a margin of 96-3, voters believe they have the right to protect themselves and their families from a criminal act. Moreover, 83% believe they have a right to use a firearm to protect themselves and their loved ones. This shows broad-based support exists across all demographic groups regardless of things like political party affiliation, gender, racial background or other socio-economic factors.
  
• By a 50-39 margin, voters reject the notion that “one’s choice of firearms for personal self-defense should be limited only to those the government allows for hunting.” This suggests voters place a premium on maximizing personal freedoms when it comes to the choice of firearms, and suggests voters will be adverse to policies that try to impose arbitrary limitations on the choice of firearms.

II. Voters Most Prefer Stiffer Penalties and Mental Health Screenings to Curb Gun Violence

The poll shows most voters want state lawmakers in Annapolis to focus on existing criminals and solutions to identify and treat those with dangerous mental health issues. This includes strong support for things like increasing mandatory prisons sentences for repeat (criminal) offenders, better background screens to stop those with mental health issues from the lawful possession of firearms, as well as the placement of armed officers in public schools. However, they simultaneously reject a ban on semi-automatic rifles as a more effective deterrent to stopping gun violence. For instance:

• By an overwhelming margin of 62% to 20% (or better than 3:1), voters say strengthening laws to keep firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill would be more effective at preventing future mass murders than prohibiting law-abiding citizens from owning semi-automatic rifles.
  
• By an 88-6 margin, voters favor requiring convicted repeat criminal offenders (who use guns in the commission of a crime) to serve full prison sentences when told that most criminals who use guns have prior criminal records.
  
• By a 55-37 margin, voters support placing full time, armed security officers in public schools as a way to protect children from gun violence.

III. Voters Oppose Sanctions that Aim to Punish Citizens for Technical Violations

By a margin of 61% to 20% (or 3:1), voters disagree that law-abiding citizens should face the prospect of lengthy prison sentences, the loss of employment or even a lifetime ban on the right to own firearms if found to be in violation of technical violations of the licensing requirements of a new gun law. This suggests voters share the concern that arbitrary, “get-tough” sanctions in the proposed gun licensing measure will invariably punish law-abiding citizens for even the most benign of infractions.

Methodology: This poll was conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on behalf of Maryland Shall Issue. Completed interviews were conducted January 30 – February 2, 2013 with 700 registered voters who have prior vote history in G10, G08 and/or G06, as well as new registered voters since November 2010. Interviews are randomly selected and conducted via live telephone agents using the professionally-trained survey research staff from our main telephone call center in Harrisburg; the universe includes a sample telephone frame of both land line and cellular telephones. Interviews are closely monitored to ensure a representative sample of Maryland’s electorate is achieved based on party, geography, gender, age and other demographics; results are sometimes statistically weighted.

The margin of error for a sample size of 700 is +/-3.7% at the 95% confidence level.

© Susquehanna Polling and Research is a privately-owned, survey research and polling firm and conducts public opinion polling on behalf of political candidates for public office, media outlets as well as numerous corporate clients mainly in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Florida. SP&R’s polling and analysis has been cited in numerous national news broadcast programs including Fox News, MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Mathews, the Bill Maher Show, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today and others. Susquehanna Polling and Research also does polling under the name Voter Survey Service (VSS).

I'm gonna commission a poll right now...

How many of you are for any of this ********? None of you? Ok.

"A POLL CONDUCTED BY MDSHOOTERS.COM FINDS THAT 100 PERF***INGCENT OF MARYLANDERS OPPOSE O'MALLEY'S GUN CONTROL MEASURES."

Ok.

eruby said:

Fingerprinting is to make as many people as possible feel it's not worth it to even try and own a gun.

Their goal is to remove all guns from the public.

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I get the logic, not the rationale for having it in the bill. Did they poll that too? Geez! Too bad there isn't a requirement to have traceability to the Constitution on all laws, they would have nowhere to go with this melarchy.

No one asked me or anyone I know in this so-called poll.

smores said:

I'm gonna commission a poll right now...

How many of you are for any of this ********? None of you? Ok.

"A POLL CONDUCTED BY MDSHOOTERS.COM FINDS THAT 100 PERF***INGCENT OF MARYLANDERS OPPOSE O'MALLEY'S GUN CONTROL MEASURES."

Ok.

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Ditto. Put my mark in the "HELL NO" column.

Don't tell me I can't do something, I will find a way.

I support DNA testing and license for all males. Just in case they use the concealed gun in their pants for evil. I heard it can fire 40 to 600 million micro "bullets" that will seek out its target!


Not serious, but makes just as much sense. People today will give up or weaken any right fora false sense of security.

I guarantee the polled people do not know that MD already does all the "licensing" activities: namely background check + training.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2

This is probably one reason the Founders shunned an open democracy. Uninformed people should not vote.

I would love to find out how they conducted their poll. I have never been asked to take part in a poll, where do they find their participants?

Hey maybe we should have a license for other rights then too.
A license for practicing religion?
Last time I check radical Christianity and Radical Islam have killed far more people than the firearms in my safe.

How about this.... If you can afford to purchase a license then you will have due process.

Wait... Women can vote and slave will be freed if they just apply and follow the rules set forth by stupid people....

Can you tell how irritated I am?

Chris

smores said:

I'm gonna commission a poll right now...

How many of you are for any of this ********? None of you? Ok.

"A POLL CONDUCTED BY MDSHOOTERS.COM FINDS THAT 100 PERF***INGCENT OF MARYLANDERS OPPOSE O'MALLEY'S GUN CONTROL MEASURES."

Ok.

Click to expand...

vector03 said:

There was a poll commissioned by MSI recently that supports our stance with numbers.

I want to know WHO ran the poll for Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence.

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Playing devil's advocate, the same could be said about the MSI poll. What's needed is a scientific poll conducted by a non-biased organization. THAT would carry some weight.....

The poll is here: