Someone help Michael Bloomberg, Shannon Watts, Sarah Brady and the rest of the gun control movement to their fainting couches: Americans have roundly rejected their philosophy:

The percentage of Americans who believe having a gun in the house makes it a safer place to be (63%) has nearly doubled since 2000, when about one in three agreed with this. Three in 10 Americans say having a gun in the house makes it a more dangerous place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gallup originally asked Americans about their views on the implications of having a gun in the home in 1993, and then updated the measure in 2000. Between 2000 and 2006, less than half of Americans believed having a gun at home makes it safer — but since then, this percentage has significantly increased to a majority.

Republicans (81%) are about twice as likely as Democrats (41%) to believe having a gun improves home safety. About half of Democrats say having a gun makes a home a more dangerous place to be.

It would be interesting to see Gallup sub-poll the 27% of Americans who think guns in the home make it more dangerous. I’d be willing to bet that a convincing super-majority of that group—probably in excess of 80%-90%—has little direct experience with firearms and no formal training.

Frankly, I’m not surprised with the results of the poll.

American firearm ownership is at an all-time high, with women, urban, and young shooters seeing incredible grown in particular. The last six years have seen record growth that is only just starting to taper off, and ammunition companies are now beginning to catch up with demand in many popular calibers.

Since more of the population is developing knowledge of (and competence with) firearms, it only makes sense that hoplophobia will decrease.

This is a matter of first-hand education beating third-hand fear-mongering, and part of the reason that the average citizen is developing an immunity to gun control rhetoric and tactics while concurrently learning to develop a healthy distrust of the mainstream media.