Despite constant hammering by the national news media, the National Rifle Association has a favorability rating of 54 percent in the latest Gallup survey, slightly higher than President Obama's rating of 53 percent.
While those figures are within the poll's margin of error, they show that the NRA's popularity is in the same range as that of the Democratic president who issued 23 executive orders to accomplish goals the gun-rights group has promised to combat in “the fight of the century.”
According to an article by Frank Newport, the Gallup poll -- which was conducted Dec. 19-22 -- showed that only 38 percent of those surveyed have an unfavorable opinion of the NRA, while Obama's disapproval rating is three points higher at 41 percent.
The survey, which was taken after the Sandy Hook murders on Dec. 14 and NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre's anti-gun control press conference on Dec. 22, also indicates that 21 percent of Americans have a very favorable opinion of the NRA, while 18 percent have a very unfavorable opinion.
As you might expect, favorable opinions of the NRA are much higher than average among the 45 percent of Americans who report having a gun in the household -- although one in four view the NRA unfavorably. At the same time, four in 10 of those without a gun in the household have a favorable opinion of the NRA.
Newport also stated that the poll reinforces the common belief that Republicans are more likely to own guns and are less in favor of gun control than Democrats.
These relationships no doubt contribute to the finding that more than eight in 10 Republicans have a favorable opinion of the NRA, contrasted with less than four in 10 Democrats. A slight majority of independents have a favorable opinion of the NRA.
Although more than seven in 10 Americans with a gun in the household have a favorable opinion of the NRA, a much smaller group -- 50 percent -- say the organization reflects their views on guns always or most of the time.
On the other hand, 22 percent of those without a gun in the household say that the NRA reflects their views about guns always or most of the time.
Results for the poll are based on telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,038 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The public's ratings of the NRA have fluctuated since first being measured by Gallup in 1993 -- from a low of 42 percent favorable in 1995 to a high of 60 percent in 2005.
As NewsBusters previously reported, recent surveys conducted on behalf of CNN and Time magazine have shown that the public's support for stricter gun legislation is dropping.
John Nolte of Breitbart.com commented that these polls are part of the reason “the White House, Democrats and the corrupt media are losing their battle to marginalize and destroy the political power of the NRA.”
Right now, the media is manufacturing a reality that says the American people consider the NRA a bunch of freaks who put on a freak show during that press conference with their freaky ideas about putting armed guards in schools.
Judging from all this polling data, Obama and the Democrats in Congress will have a difficult time passing gun-control legislation. Nevertheless, the president and his allies will certainly give it their best shot.
