Oklahoman: Poll shows strong support for background checks on all gun purchases
By Silas Allen, The Oklahoman
The overwhelming majority of Oklahomans would support a federal law requiring background checks for all gun purchases, according to a recent poll.
About 88 percent of all poll respondents said they would support such a measure. Although the measure was most popular among self-described liberals, more than three-quarters of conservatives said they would support such a law, according to the survey conducted by Oklahoma City-based SoonerPoll in cooperation with The
Oklahoman.
[QUESTION] Do you SUPPORT or OPPOSE a federal law requiring background checks on all potential gun buyers? [PROBE: STRONGLY/SOMEWHAT]
1. Strongly support 67.7%
2. Somewhat support 20.2
3. Don't know/refused [DNR] 3.4
4. Somewhat oppose 2.5
5. Strongly oppose 6.1
“I think that everybody that wants to purchase a gun needs to have a background check,” said Melody Barr, one of the poll's respondents.
Barr, who described herself as a conservative Republican, said she doesn't support additional gun control measures in general
but sees value in mandatory
background checks.
Although Barr, 50, of Bethany, said she recognizes that criminals likely will find a way to buy guns whether they're legal or not, she thinks such a measure could prevent convicted felons or people who suffer from mental illnesses from buying guns.
Continued – Click here to read the entire Oklahoman article
About the Poll
SoonerPoll.com, Oklahoma’s public opinion pollster, asked these questions of Oklahoma likely voters as part of the SoonerPoll Quarterly Poll, and commissioned by the Oklahoman.
The scientific study was conducted from July 20-25, 2016 with 398 likely Oklahoma voters selected at random statewide from a tri-frame of both landline telephone and cell phones, plus a online panel from Research Now. The sample was weighted by age, congressional district and gender in order to reflect the Oklahoma likely voter population for a general election.
The sample reflects the traditional demographical profile of the Oklahoma likely voter with roughly half of respondents identifying as conservative and attending religious services once or more per week. The study has a Margin of Error (MoE) of ± 4.91 percent.
This poll not only conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls but exceeds the standard disclosure with a Call Disposition and Rate Calculation Report. A complete description of the methodology can be found here.
The poll's Call Disposition and Rate Calculation Report can be viewed here. A beta version of the Weighting Table Report can be viewed here.
