CNN

"The Gallup poll reveals a gradual, long-term decline in support for gun control from the early 1990s to 2008. That coincides with a decline in the murder rate. But this year's sudden drop seems to be influenced by politics."

Did Gallup ask those polled why they favor less gun control? Or is CNN just taking a shot in the dark (pun intended) that it is political? I think that many Americans are fearful for their perceived potential loss of freedoms and would rather preserve their right to bear arms, as our founding fathers desired, in order to protect those freedoms.

How many of those polled were from the Southwestern states where the opportunity to bear arms might become life saving?

Finally, change we can believe in.

The law to bare arms is in great need of revision. I simply do not understand why we allow people to carry weapons that are meant to kill other people. There is just no reason anyone should ever have a semi-automatic or assult weapon for recreational use, really, what is the point?!

I have heard the line, guns don't kill people, people kill people.. But I am sure that a lot less people would be getting killed if the restrictions on gun ownership were limited to hunting purposes only, and even the hunting laws should be revisited to restrict against these excessive types of guns.

What happened to the good ol days where you took your grandpa's shotgun into the woods, and came back with a phesant for dinner?

Civilians shouldn't be able to own assault weapons, period.... If you've got the heart to handle this type of hardware, then be a man and join the Army instead of shooting machine guns in the corn fields like a coward.

This country needs sticker gun controls again. Too many innocent people are being killed lately... and what for? To blame it on the economy, as I heard this morning in the media, is a coopout. Why do people need AK47's if not to kill their fellow man?

Apparently many "gun toting" Americans don't know the difference between gun control and banning all guns. We previously had a ban on the sale of assault weapons, and to my knowledge we managed to get through that period without a drastic rise in crime. I can't recall hearing of a citizen defending family or property with an assault weapon. Hunters don't use assault weapons, so what's the big deal. Oh, I forgot, they are neat toys and make lots of noise.
For the people who need to have an assault weapon I suggest the military, where you can get paid to carry and use an assault weapon. If you're really lucky you might even get a chance to draw down on a real live, breathing human being who has one also – just to make things interesting.

May be a few more mass murders and suicides by the gutless gunrights freaks who commit them might increase support for stricter gun control laws – especially if it's their loved ones who get blasted to kingdom-come by some jerk with no coping skills who happens to be able to pass a background check and lay their hands on a semi-automatic assault weapon. How many more deaths is it going to take: 10, 20 100 1000 -???

Maybe people are realizing that by making things illegal, it increases crime and violence by creating a black market for such items. We saw this with prohibition, drugs, abortions, etc.

I don't think most people should be allowed to drive a car, much less own a gun. I have never been threatened by a criminal with a weapon, but I have almost been killed three times by sportsmen who are shooting at butterflies, cacti, and clouds in the southwestern desert where my wife and I like to hike.

My mother, who has now passed on to a well deserved reward, used to live on the old family home place that had been in our family for four generations, way out in the boondocks. She quit locking her gates because hunters shot the locks off. She quit putting no hunting signs on her fences because hunters shot them to pieces. After they shot her gates open, they would be just as likely to shoot one of her cows as a deer. On their way out, they would usually seine out her fish pond.

To summarize, it's not the criminals who scare me, its the gal ahead of me in line in Walmart who has a .257 magnum in her purse.

The only way to protect yourself is to own a gun, the police cannot protect you either can our government so you arm your selves.

Well, we here at our house have never been polled about guns. Nor have millions who own only cell phones!

Personally, I think we are nuts to have guns so freely available for nuts to get a hold off and kill at will!

Since Obama came into office, the gun lobby has been perpetrating a rumor about "new restrictions" which I doubt will happen.

But the conservatives love a good rumor! Those people live in fear that their guns will be taken from them! Idiots.

How about instead of stricter gun laws, they actually ENFORCE the ones in place now?
Maybe if we got the guns out of the hands of criminals, both US nationals and illegals (which should all be returned to port of origin and all assests siezed/sold to pay down the national debt) there would be a LOT LESS crime in America (both the US & Canada).

I am all for responsible gun ownership; I wish the NRA felt the same way.

There simply must be a unilateral BAN on assault rifles, automatic weapons, semiautomatic weapons–call them what you will. It should be a felony to possess these instruments of death.

We are seeing the bitter fruit of our practically non-existent gun laws: Mexican drug cartels, shootings all over this great country... so sad, so sick. This is not what our forefathers envisioned.

Background checks must be MUCH more rigorous.

Also: we must heavily TAX all gun purchases!!!

Gun control... making life safer for criminals, burglars, rapists and belligerant, overreaching governments everywhere.

"The constitutions of most of our States assert that all power is inherent in the people; that... it is their right and DUTY to be at all times armed."
–Thomas Jefferson, 1824

"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes . . . Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."
–Thomas Jefferson, quoting Cesare Beccaria in On Crimes and Punishment (1764)

Obama really was right......people who cannot cling to rationality will cling to guns.

Like you cannot rely on this administration to do what is right, the people cannot rely on the police to arrive in time for their defense against criminals. Therefore, we the people will take up arms against those law breakers to defend ourselves and our own and if necessary ensure they do not attempt to harm others again.

Fear is why. It will start to swing back around when all the crazies (which we are starting to see now) start killing people again.

Hurricane Katrina was the reason for the last gun ceasure. And it took place real easy. (Maybe THAT'S why they call it the Big Easy)

Only an idiot republican would not want tighter gun controls. Red necks and big gun lobbys setting their agenda.

people are starting to realize the uncertainty of life and that the number one line of protection is yourself.

The gun violence in this country is ridiculous, how many massacres will it take for lunatics to realize that we need gun rules that are stricter

The NRA says guns don't kill people kill, yes people kill people, animals with GUNS. ASK SARAH PALIN. We need to control gun sales at all Gun Shows. I saw a special on TV how easy it is to buy guns from shaddy gun salesman. We as a country a the biggest supplier of AK weapons being supplied to the Drug Lords in Mexico. Time to get a grip.

....I'am favor of strict gun control. Having, spent seven years in the military. I feel that, not everyone should have the right to have access to weapons. The people need to put the N.R.A. in check. Because, the only ones who benefit are the undertakers, the prison industrial complex, and gun makers. The ones who least benefit. Are Family Members, who has lost a loved-one from gun violence......

Every person should have the right to own a handgun , but what that person does with the gun is the key – to many people buy weapons then sell them

Their should be ban on Assault weapons,hand guns ,rifiles,shotguns
are okay.

I, as any other American, want loser gun control laws until I arm myself to the teeth, because I consider myself a 'responsible' gun owner... but in the hands of anyone else it's a dangerous weapon, because everyone ELSE is irresponsible. Hence I need to paranoidly buy dozens more guns, despite the fact that I am able to use only one at a time. Oh, and don't mind my kid who borrowed one of my guns to shoot your kid. It's not my fault since I am a 'responsible' parent, and not his fault either, he's just a kid.

Could it be, that people are finally waking up to the fact, that since murder is already illegal, most murderers couldn't care less about following gun "LAWS" in the first place? Or could it be that where we have the very strict gun laws I.E. DC, crime runs rampant?
If you want to commit a violent crime you do not need a gun a knife will do just fine or a baseball bat, or whatever. Should we outlaw automobiles because of hit and runs?
Or perhaps it is much deeper than all of this. Perhaps it is as Joseph Story in his commentary on theConstitution stated in 1890

"The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them."

An excellent trend.

Wow. Now how does this sit with a very left leaning administration? Will our Representatives listen to the people, or will they dictate what they want instead of representing what we want!

Hand guns are meant for two things ... to make gun companies and their management rich and the public afraid .....sorry that's the NRA ...........hand guns are for killing and for making little whimpy people feel safe.

Hitler, Castro, Qaddafi, Stalin, Idi Amin, Mao Tse Tung, Pol Pot, Kim Jong-il and many others tell us that gun control is good and there are millions of dead reasons why it works so well.
We see our rights as being stepped on and diminished daily, so why wouldn't we be concerned?

I agree with the bumper sticker.

You can have my gun when you pry it from my cold dead fingers.

Fear breeds irrational thought....

The ban on assault weapons cannot come some enough!

The shift away from Gun Control Laws is because Americans realize – for the first time in history – we have a President who sided AGAINST the 2nd Amendment.

Obama stood with DC in supporting the Gun ban that was struck down by the Supreme Court.

We need to preserve the 2nd Amendement NOW MORE THAN EVER!

Guns should be more regulated than they are. There will always be sportsmen who use guns, that's not a problem. The problem is with the nutcakes who buy them for the wrong reasons. Also, the jerks who have talk shows on TV or Radio should watch their mouths. They have caused a lot of the recent problems of shootings in my view. One should always remember, it is not what you say but how you say something that can provoke all kinds of problems domestically and abroad. We sure found that out during the past 8 years.Remember!!!

Doesn't matter what the majority of people want. Congress will do it anyway. That's why the sales are through the roof and you can't find ammo because everyone is sold out.

Walked into Cabela's... empty shelves of ammo everywhere... never saw that before. That and waiting lists because they are out of AKs, AKSs, ARs, Tach 9s, Mac 10s, etc, etc, etc, short on many auto mag fed handguns as well... plenty of revolvers though.

This is not hard. More guns equals more crime. More guns equals more deaths. More guns equals more nuts having more guns. More guns equals more criminals. More guns equals more mass murder such as we have seen lately. This is just not hard to understand.

Christianity is NOT DYING... This is what revelation 22v11 has to say to the future of RELIGION and it's affect on people:

"Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right, and let him who is HOLY continue to be holy"

This is not surprising. Obama is granting more favorable terms to terrorists and criminals than he does to law abiding citizens. The administration is trying to run the Arizona sheriff out of office because he is enforcing immigration laws (at the request of the Justice Department).

Obama doesn't care what happens to citizens. We are on our own.