Virginia Gun Rights

It’s no wonder recent polls show strong support for banning people on the so-called “Terrorist Watch List” from being able to buy firearms are so high.  Pollster’s ask questions that most anyone would respond to with a yes answer.  Take for example the just released  Quinnipiac University poll”

52. As you may know, individuals on the U.S. government’s terrorist watch list are not allowed to fly on planes. Would you support or oppose banning those on the U.S. government’s terrorist watch list from purchasing guns?

No where in the poll is there an explanation of exactly what the list is or how someone gets on or off of the list.  It is doubtful the average American knows this is a “secret” government list and the government won’t tell the public how a name is added or how to get it removed.  It is also doubtful the average American knows in 2014 a federal judge ruled that the government’s method for allowing the public to challenge placement on the no-fly list was “wholly ineffective” and unconstitutional.

This isn’t the only poll that uses simplistic questions to get the desired result.  It is all too clear that polls are more a tool to drive the news than they are to determine the mood of the public.