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SELF DEFENSE: Americans Lose Taste for Gun Control as Violence Rages

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Support for gun control among Americans has fallen to the lowest level since 2014, according to a new Gallup poll. Zusha Elinson reports in The Wall Street Journal:

Americans’ support for stricter gun-control measures has fallen to its lowest level since 2014, according to a poll released Wednesday by Gallup.

The results of the October survey come as the number of violent crimes, including murder, has risen and after Americans purchased a record number of guns in 2020.

According to the poll, 52% of U.S. adults say they want stricter gun laws—down from 67% in 2018 after a mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., left 17 people dead. Democrats overwhelmingly support stricter measures in the recent survey, while 24% of Republicans do; 11% of U.S. adults polled say they want less-restrictive laws.

The percentage of Americans who support a ban on the possession of handguns fell to 19%, the lowest rate ever recorded by Gallup. Support peaked at 60% when Gallup first asked the question in 1959. The highest recorded rates of support that Gallup found for stricter gun-control laws were in the 1990s.

The number of homicides in the U.S. rose nearly 30% in 2020 from the prior year to 21,570, the largest single-year increase ever recorded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The violent-crime rate rose 5.2% last year compared with the previous year, while the property-crime rate dipped 8.1%, according to the FBI.

Gallup found that 88% of U.S. gun owners now say they own a gun to protect themselves against crime, up from two-thirds in 2005.

Action Line: Americans have responded to the summer of riots, looting, and violence encouraged by Democratic politicians by arming themselves and their families in the face of danger. Many new gun owners are women, who have previously been less likely to buy a firearm. Now, today’s suburban female voter is saying “You ain’t takin’ my guns.”  If you feel unsafe in your city, it’s time to get your gun and your training, now.

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West (RIP JB) and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.
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