Emily Luckman
Contributing Writer
Survey results are post below!
A Keene State College class conducted surveys to the campus and the community about their thoughts on background checks for potential gun purchasers just before the Senate rejected the bill to make it a law.
Marianne Salcetti, a journalism professor at Keene State College assigned her Print Journalism class to survey students and community members’ feelings on background checks for people who purchase guns.
The survey indicated almost nine out of ten students and community members agreed that they would like people to go through a background check before purchasing a gun.
While 93 percent of students favored background checks, 88 percent of the Keene community also favored background checks. On Tuesday, April 23, 2013, the Seattle Times report that 90 percent of Americans want more secure background checks on gun sales, but the Senate rejected the bill. This has been a controversial topic because of the many shootings that took place in the last few years.
According to NPR.org, the vote came to 54-46, six votes short of being able to break a Republican filibuster and accept the bill. In May 2012 Luntzglobal polled 945 gun owners around the world and found that the survey was divided evenly by non-NRA and NRA members. Fifty-three percent of non-NRA (National Rifle Association), members and fifty-seven percent of NRA members believe that anyone who wants to purchase a gun must pass a background check, but they are wrong, Luntzglobal said.
NPR.org reported, “The expanded background checks were aimed at closing loopholes and keeping criminals and the seriously mentally ill from getting firearms.” Currently, background checks are only conducted by licensed firearms dealers. President Barack Obama said the fight to get the American people what they want is not over, according to NPR.org.
Emily Luckman can be contacted at
eluckman@ksc.keene.edu
This survey was conducted in Dr. Marianne
Salcetti’s Print Journalism class. An even split of over 800 Keene State College campus and Keene community members were randomly selected for this survey.
40% of community/campus members own a gun.
45% of community/campus members have not fired a firearm.
64% of community/campus members believe owing a firearm is an American tradition.
43% of campus believe a ban on any type of weapon goes against the second amendment / 54% of community believe it.
90% of community/campus members believe there should be increased and coordinated background checks when purchasing a gun.
58% of community/campus members believe the sale of semiautomatic weapons should be banned.
65% of community/campus members believe the sale and size of magazines should be limited to 10 rounds.
82% of community/campus members support increased government control on the coordination. of better mental health and law enforcement arenas
80% of community/campus members believe the issue of guns, gun control and public safety concerns them.
70% of community/campus members believe in owning a firearm for protection.
67% of community/campus members believe teachers/professors should NOT be permitted to carry guns in classrooms.