While some on the Left have demonized the National Rifle Association on Twitter and other social media platforms (indeed, one “educator” even called for the execution of NRA spokesman Wayne LaPierre) in the days since the unspeakable tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, a majority of Americans (albeit a slim majority) continue to view the NRA favorably:
The public’s perception of the National Rifle Association has actually changed very little in recent years. In fact, while it’s undoubtedly true that the NRA is viewed less favorably today than, say, during the mid-2000s, since 1999 a majority of Americans have either had a “very favorable” or “mostly favorable” opinion of the organization:
I was also struck by the fact that 54 percent of Independents -- and 36 percent of Democrats -- view the NRA favorably. (That’s certainly not the impression one gets when watching CNN or MSNBC). Even so, Gallup’s findings suggest something else entirely; namely, that while many on the far Left have nothing but antipathy for the Second Amendment, the public at large -- overwhelmingly -- supports an individual’s Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
And that is something always worth remembering.