Washington Post/ABC News Poll: Americans Don't Blame Gun Laws for Mass Shootings

The Washington Post reports this morning results of a new Post/ABC News Poll that shows respondants overwhelmingly (63 percent to 23 percent) say mass shootings reflect problems identifying and treating people with mental health problems rather than inadequate gun control laws.  There does seem to be a disconnect between that view and whether new gun laws should be a priority however when that question was asked:

The survey finds that 46 percent say new laws to reduce gun violence should be a bigger priority, while 47 percent say it's more important to protect the right to own firearms. This marks a shift away from gun laws since April 2013, when Democrats' push for increased background checks fell short in the aftermath of the massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.; back then, a 52 percent majority said new laws should be a priority.

It will be interesting to see if the views of Virginia voters are similar to those of the people polled on November third.  Bloomberg has invested heavily in two suburban districts (10th and 29th) hoping to turn the State Senate.  While a small majority of people (52 %) in urban areas say new gun laws should be a bigger priority than protecting Second Amendment rights, that number dips to 45 percent in suburban areas. The poll shows women are 13 percentage points more likely to prioritize new gun laws than men.  With that in mind, it is probably a good move on the part of the Glen Sturtevant (10th District) campaign to use women in their response to the Bloomberg ads.  The new Sturtevant ad also mentions mental health.

VSSA urges all gun owners in the 10th District to contact the NRA-ILA campaign field rep, Tim Lagerman (Tim@nrailafrontlines.com or by phone 570-898-3160) to find out how you can help in the final two weeks of the campaign.