A recent column by Andrew Kohut, founding director of Pew Research Center, delves into what Law Shield members already see as obvious—when most Americans believe crime rates are rising, most believe gun ownership—not gun control—makes people safer.
The headline on his column is, “Despite lower crime rates, support for gun rights increases,” and in the piece, he searches for a reason to explain why, for the first time, more Americans say that protecting gun rights is more important than controlling gun ownership, 52% to 46%. Law Shield covered that poll result in depth here.
Kohut cites changing political trends as one possible cause for the 25-year turnaround. But then he tries to tie the switch to a perception of crime:
“Over the past 25 years or so, there has been a divergence between American perceptions about crime and actual crime rates. And those who worried about crime had favored stricter gun control; now, they tend to desire keeping the laws as they are or loosening gun control,” he wrote.
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