But opinion is much more closely divided on whether such measures will actually reduce crime and violence. The second is that people common-sensically understand that even when taken together they are not going to put an end to gun crime precisely because they are limited. In a March ABC poll, for instance, Americans divided almost exactly in half when asked whether stricter gun control laws would reduce the level of violent crime. In a Gallup Poll taken around the same time, tougher enforcement of existing laws narrowly came out ahead of passing new gun-control laws when Americans were asked the best way to reduce gun violence. Even those narrowly divided numbers obscure the true depth of division on gun issues.
Few issues offer such sharp regional and demographic variations.
In the Zogby poll, for instance, women were more optimistic than men about the value of new gun controls, blacks were more optimistic than whites and Northeasterners were more optimistic than residents of any other region. Residents of rural areas consistently express much more skepticism about gun control than do urbanites. The NRA, the leading voice of gun owners, has pounded that message throughout the Clinton presidency. And it's been echoed by a growing chorus of leading Republicans, including Bush, the party's presumptive presidential nominee. Bush has indicated support for some gun control proposals, such as raising the age for handgun ownership.