Poll - Little Shop of Horror

[bdickens]

They never heard of Heller up in NY? I mean that was almost two years ago. Surely the news has made it that far by now, what with the internet and all.

[jester]

They should build a wall around the place to help keep out freedom.

[mikeintexas]

Somthing isn't making sense here. Handguns are banned in NYC. With handguns banned there can't be any gun crime. What am I missing? NYC and Chicago are the 2 safest places in the country with their gun bans. Hmmmmmm......

[surprise_i'm_armed]

mikeintexas:

Here's what you're missing:
Handguns are banned for law-abiding citizens only.

The criminals are allowed to keep on being criminals.

SIA

[Hoi Polloi]

mikeintexas:

Here's what you're missing:
Handguns are banned for law-abiding citizens only.

The criminals are allowed to keep on being criminals.

SIA

But they couldn't possibly be criminals if they didn't have those horrible Georgians feeding them their contraband!

[duns]

I voted but we are now down to 43%.

[Purplehood]

I didn't like the poll answers.

Personally, I would keep a close eye on the place and see if this is sheer coincidence based on the volume of guns that are sold by the store or if the guy really is doing something "bad". All you can do as a BATFE investigator is parse the numbers, follow the lead and see if there is any substance to the rumors.

[81aggie]

I didn't like the poll answers.

The answers are phrased in such a manner as to pose a choice between "getting rid" of crime or preserving culture and history. It would be a much more honest approach to just make it Yes or No, no qualifiers. Polls are almost always slanted toward proving support for the particular point of view that the pollster or organization commisioning the poll wants to put forth. I voted just so I could see where it stood and at this time it's 62% in favor of banning and 38% against. Hard to believe that this is a true representation of the sentiment toward gun ownership, but then again one must remember that this is on a NYC newspaper website.

[The Annoyed Man]

I didn't like the poll answers.

The answers are phrased in such a manner as to pose a choice between "getting rid" of crime or preserving culture and history. It would be a much more honest approach to just make it Yes or No, no qualifiers. Polls are almost always slanted toward proving support for the particular point of view that the pollster or organization commisioning the poll wants to put forth. I voted just so I could see where it stood and at this time it's 62% in favor of banning and 38% against. Hard to believe that this is a true representation of the sentiment toward gun ownership, but then again one must remember that this is on a NYC newspaper website.

I didn't bother voting, having read the results posted here so far. But the wording of the question is even more fundamentally dysfunctional than simply rendering it as a crime versus culture issue. Notice that the word "Rights" doesn't appear anywhere in that question or the possible answers?

And by the way, just to draw a comparison to other "hot button" issues that motivate liberals and conservatives, has anyone noticed that the very same people who want to illegalize guns in other states as a means of controlling their own state, tend to be the very same people who want to legalize "unconventional" behaviors such as gay marriage in their own states, and then force the legality of that onto other states.

I'm not trying to debate "gay marriage" or any other hot-button issue here. I'm simply pointing out that their view of personal liberties is very distorted and one sided, and they are as hypocritical as anyone else - despite their self-perceived high minded idealism.

[81aggie]

Yes there is no reference to "rights" in either the question or the answers, but I think most people will see the question and answers through the prism of their own political beliefs. Those on the left tend to think of the Constitution as a living, breathing document and of a person's rights being granted by those in power therefore an individual's "rights" can change or be modified to fit what they feel is beneficial to society. Those to the right of the spectrum believe more along the lines of rights deriving from a higher power, not the federal government. Thus reducing crime by banning the posession of evil firearms carries the potential of a greater good for society than preserving the culture of "Wild West" America, and to heck with anyone's rights. I voted in the poll only because I was curious to see what kind of results it was producing and I have to say that given that it is a NYC paper I am not surprised at the way it is going.

As to the comments on the other "hot-button" issues, good point. I hadn't thought of it this way but I think it goes along with what I said about how people see the world as influenced by their beliefs. Reminds me of the post going around the Internet about liberals and conservatives, when a liberal doesn't like something he wants it made unavailable to everyone whereas a conservative will just refrain from participating in the activity himself and let others decide for themselves. With 300 million-plus in this country I don't think we'll ever run out of opposing viewpoints but it does serve to keep things interesting.

[bayouhazard]

And by the way, just to draw a comparison to other "hot button" issues that motivate liberals and conservatives, has anyone noticed that the very same people who want to illegalize guns in other states as a means of controlling their own state, tend to be the very same people who want to legalize "unconventional" behaviors such as gay marriage in their own states, and then force the legality of that onto other states.

No. I haven't noticed that. However, many of my IRL friends are live and let live types, and don't think the government should deny civil rights by inventing victimless crimes to harass citizens.

I do notice a lot of luke warm gun owners online who want to protect their own interests but then turn around and support restrictions on others' gun rights on subjects as varied as campus carry to open carry to reciprocity to Class 3 to whatever else is outside their little comfort zone.

[seniorshooteress]

I think this poll is rigged. I just voted and it said 36% for guns. Maybe they have subtracted all the texas votes and kept the ones they liked.

[The Annoyed Man]

And by the way, just to draw a comparison to other "hot button" issues that motivate liberals and conservatives, has anyone noticed that the very same people who want to illegalize guns in other states as a means of controlling their own state, tend to be the very same people who want to legalize "unconventional" behaviors such as gay marriage in their own states, and then force the legality of that onto other states.

No. I haven't noticed that. However, many of my IRL friends are live and let live types, and don't think the government should deny civil rights by inventing victimless crimes to harass citizens.

I do notice a lot of luke warm gun owners online who want to protect their own interests but then turn around and support restrictions on others' gun rights on subjects as varied as campus carry to open carry to reciprocity to Class 3 to whatever else is outside their little comfort zone.

I don't know what "IRL" is, but I agree that people tend to pay attention to their own rice bowl with little regard to what happens outside of it, and I am a died in the wool social conservative. But that's really besides the point here. This poll is about something that is an enumerated right in the Constitution, and yet the basis of the answers ignores that it is a right. Most of those social issues are not enumerated rights, but fall more under the more generalized "pursuit of happiness" (of which positive results are not Constitutionally guaranteed, by the way).

[UpTheIrons]

I don't know what "IRL" is,

IRL means "in real life", I believe.