Over the past few days, CNN and MSNBC have again been peddling a discredited poll finding that about 90 percent of Americans -- this time from Quinnipiac with a tally of 97 percent -- supporting the adoption of laws to require background checks for all gun purchases.
But, as previously documented, by NewsBusters, other polling has found that support from respondents plummets if the questioner reminds or informs them that the overwhelming majority of gun purchases already undergo a background check since it is already required for licensed dealers.
Additionally, in the 2016 elections, voters in Democratic-leaning Maine defeated such a proposal in a ballot initiative while voters in Democratic-leaning Nevada only just barely passed it with slightly more than 50 percent of the vote. Even solidly Democratic Washington only gave it 59 percent in 2014 -- far from the alleged 90 percent support that pollsters cited by the dominant media have claimed in the past several years.
Notably, only MSNBC's Steve Kornacki bothered to inform viewers this week that Maine voters rejected "universal background checks" when it actually was time to vote on it.
By contrast, other journalists accepted the validity of the poll and suggested that universal background checks always fails to pass because of a small number of single-issue pro-gun voters combined with the NRA.
CNN's Chris Cuomo and Jamie Gangel bolstered "universal background checks" by calling it "common sense," and MSNBC's Joe Scarborough ranted against the "crazies" who are opposed, and snarked that they should have their "voting card" taken away and be barred from operating a blender because they are "not very smart."
CBS This Morning also highlighted the Quinnipiac poll as did FNC's Shepard Smith.
