[ftp://ftp.shell.portal.com/pub/chan/research/stat/police-surveys] From: sun!att.att.com!ihuxz!rats Date: Wed, 30 Aug 89 12:08 CDT To: firearms-politics@cis.ohio-state.edu Subject: Stuff from Gun Week [...] CCRKBA Releases Results of Police Survey (Adapted from Gun Week, 8/25/89) In a study conducted by the National Association of the Chiefs of Police (NACP) through its American Law Enforcement Survey for 1989, in which 16,259 chiefs of police, sheriffs and law-enforcement command personnel were polled with a list of 30 questions, it was determined the overwhelming majority of officers support the right of private arms ownership, and agreed that gun bans had little effect on crime. CCRKBA compiled the following responses: -- Do you believe that law-abiding citizens should have the right to purchase any type of firearm for sport or self-defense under state laws that now exist? 68.71% answered YES. -- Do you believe that the banning of firearms (handguns, shotguns, or rifles) will reduce the ability of criminals to obtain such weapons. 90.18% answered NO. -- Do you believe that the banning of private ownership of firearms will result in fewer crimes from firearms? 87.62% answered NO. -- Would you agree that most criminals obtain their weapons illegally? 89.94% answered YES. -- Do you believe that a waiting period to purchase a handgun or any type of firearm will have any effect on criminals getting firearms? 70.91% answered NO. -- A "military type" of long gun (Rifle, shotgun, etc.) is now being described as one being able to hold more than five rounds of ammunition. It must be fired by pulling the trigger each time. The legal description would cover many semi-automatic weapons. Do you believe that banning such weapons would reduce the likelihood of criminals obtaining such weapons. 86.73% answered NO. -- Some states have longer waiting periods than others. Would you agree that it should be a state mandated law rather than a federal regulation as to firearms purchase requirements? 62.64% answered STATE. -- Do you favor the training and issuance of semi-automatic firearms (sidearms) that carry 16-17 rounds over the present police revolver? 85% answered YES. -- Historically, the militia is "all men between the ages of 16 and 45". Under the present armed forces defense of the United States, the National Guard must be able to mobilize in three days to back up our regular armed forces worldwide. Therefore, the only defense would be the "state militia" in time of war. Would you agree, that for the sake of the defense of the United States, citizens should be allowed to have their own rifles, shotguns and handguns for emergencies, natural or man made? 85.69% answered YES. -- Do you feel that the system of criminal justice has broken down to the point where it is the inability to deal with criminals caught by police (prosecution and imprisonment) that is the major cause of crime in America? 86.46% answered YES. -- Do you think the courts are soft on criminals in general? 95.60% answered YES. -- Do you believe the media coverage of police-involved shootings encourages the riots or disturbances that have often followed publication or televised? 90.12% answered YES. -- Do you think that the media that depicts violence, especially on TV, while at the same time encouraging the banning of firearms ownership for law-abiding citizens for sport or self-defense, is hypocritical? 89.95% answered YES. For copies, interested parties may contact CCRKBA, 12500 N.E. 10th Place, Bellvue, WA 98005. It includes the other questions. __ From: sun!att.att.com!ihuxz!rats Date: Thu, 2 Nov 89 11:20 CST To: firearms-politics@cis.ohio-state.edu Subject: GA PBA Survey Georgia PBA Gun Survey Gun Week, Nov. 3, 1989 An educational project, sponsered jointly by the police Benevolent Association of Georgia, (PBA/GA), and the Georgia Sport Shooting Association (GSSA), has revealed the following responses to the issues of gun control, gun ownership, the Second Amendment, semi-automatic firearms and crime. The tabulations are in response to a survey mailed out to more than 3,000 sworn law enforcement members, with the results tabulated by a professional polling organization based in Tallahasse, FL, during July and August, 1989. -- Do you believe gun control laws do not stop crimes involving guns because such laws are directed toward the law abiding citizen, rather than those who operate outside the law? 92.5% replied YES -- Do you believe gun onwership is a symbol of independence, self-reliance, and responsibility in America? 88% replied YES -- Do you believe legal gun owners pride themselves on education, training and responsibility in America? 83.5% replied YES -- Do you believe laws made to limit gun ownership by law abiding citizens will result in criminals still obtaining guns, while citizens will be unable to do so lawfully? 92.3% replied YES -- Do you believe laws having the effect of limiting gun ownership by law abiding citizens will make it more difficult for criminals to get guns? 89.4% replied NO -- Do you believe the best way to reduce the number of crimes committed with a firearm is to enforce existing laws more strictly? 92.9% replied YES -- Do you believe the best way to reduce the number of crimes committed with a firearm is to pass stricter gun control laws? 76.5% replied NO -- Article VII, Amendment II of the U.S. Constitution provides that "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Do you believe this means that all law abiding citizens in America have a constitutional right to gun ownership? 91% replied YES -- "Assault Weapons" now being considered for severe restrictions, or even bans, are semi-automatic firearms, and are not "machine guns". Do you believe they should be regulated any more stringently than handguns or shotguns? 68.5% replied NO -- Do you believe "assault rifles" serve no useful purpose and should be banned from ownership by private citizens? 73.9% replied NO -- Do you believe crime rates are lower in states with few gun control laws because criminals do not want to risk confronting an armed citizen? 78.6% replied YES -- Do you believe armed citizens will not stop crimes from being committed? 55.7% replied NO __ From: rats@ihlpm.att.com Date: Tue, 13 Jul 93 12:28 CDT To: att!cs.cmu.edu!firearms-politics@ihlpm.att.com Subject: Article on Southern Police Gun Attitudes "Copyright 1993 by Reposted with permission from the ClariNet Electronic Newspaper newsgroup For more info on ClariNet, write to info@clarinet.com or phone 1-800-USE-NETS." > > Xref: cbnews clari.news.law.police:1426 clari.news.issues:2237 clari.local.georgia:1112 clari.news.trends:867 > Path: cbnews!att!csn!lll-winken.llnl.gov!looking!clarinews > From: clarinews@clarinet.com (STEVE GLASSER) > Newsgroups: clari.news.law.police,clari.news.issues,clari.local.georgia,clari.news.trends > Subject: Southern police survey shows little gun control support > Keywords: police, legal, gun control, social issues, domestic trends, > trends > Message-ID: > References: > X-Supersedes: > Date: Fri, 9 Jul 93 10:39:32 PDT > Location: georgia > ACategory: usa > Slugword: guncontrol > Priority: regular > Format: regular > ANPA: Wc: 367/359; Id: z4152; Sel: xxnlp; Adate: 7-9-130ped; Ver: 0/1 > Approved: clarinews@clarinet.com > Codes: &nlprxx., &nxgrga., &ntdrxx., tnrb.... > Lines: 34 > Status: R > > ATLANTA (UPI) -- Nearly all members of the Southern States Police > Benevolant Association reject the argument that restrictive gun control > measures effectively combat violent crime, according to a survey > released Friday. > The survey showed that 95.8 percent of the 10,614 members of the 10- > state law enforcement organization surveyed rejected a ban on all > firearms, 96.4 percent strongly supported firearm ownership for self- > protection and 90.1 percent agreed that the U.S. Constitution guarantees > law-abiding citizens the right to own a firearm. > Only 34.7 percent said stricter gun control laws were an effective > way of controlling violent crime. > ``We simply had enough of every special interest group, including a > number of national police organizations, claiming they spoke for rank- > and-file officers on the subject of gun control,'' said Southern States > PBA President Jack Roberts, a former police officer. > ``The only way to know how law enforcement feels about gun control is > to ask them. And that's exactly what we did,'' he said. ``What our > members told us may be quite an eye-opener for some people, but it won't > be to anyone who is in touch with rank-and-file street cops.'' > The survey showed little support for a Brady Bill-type waiting period > for the purchase of handguns -- 86.5 percent said it would only affect > law-abiding citizens and not deter criminals from obtaining handguns. > An instant point-of-purchase criminal background check prior to the > purchase of handguns drew 63.8 percent support, while only 23.1 percent > supported a waiting period before the purchase of a handgun. > When asked what was most responsible for the surge in violent crime > across the nation, 45 percent said drugs, 10.6 percent said the decline > of family values and 10.2 percent blamed the lack of punishment coupled > with early release programs. > Congress drew low marks for its effectiveness in dealing with violent > crime - 93 percent of those surveyed said federal lawmakers were > minimally to totally ineffective. > The survey was conducted by Spectrum Resources Inc., of Tallahassee, > Fla. __ Date: Tue, 5 Oct 93 10:55:44 EDT From: rrw@philabs.philips.com (Roger White) To: firearms-politics@cs.cmu.edu Subject: Repost from t.p.g. - Police survey Article: 73504 of talk.politics.guns From: deanp@lsid.hp.com (Dean Payne) Subject: Another police survey Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1993 17:59:10 GMT Here is another poll of law enforcement officers. Because it is not a controlled random sample, it is not reliable, but a union representative on the King County Task Force on Responsible Gun Ownership though it was worth passing on to me. "Last November, POLICE published a "Vote by Mail Survey" asking for your opinion on gun laws and crime. "If gun control affects you or your job, please answer this questionnaire," we wrote. "If" could be the understated qualifier of the year. "Over 300 of you responded, many at length and with great feeling. We'd like to share our findings and some of your thought here. "But first, a warning: This is an informal survey. Researchers, officials and advocates on either side of the issue should not use these results out of their very unscientific context. We don't even know for certain that the responses are from police officers (although we assume they are). What we sought were ideas from individual rank-and-file enforcers." Survey Response 1. Do you support the Brady Bill, including a waiting period and background check before a handgun can be sold? 23% Yes 77% No 2. Do you support any assault weapons bill that would ban importation and U.S. manufacture of specific semiautomatic assault weapons? 15% Yes 85% No 3. Does gun ownership by citizens increase public safety? 85% Yes 15% No 4. Does gun ownership by citizens decrease public safety? 10% Yes 90% No 5. Does gun ownership by citizens negatively affect your job? 10% Yes 90% No 6. Should training or certification of gun owners be required by law? 48% Yes 52% No See 'Police The Law Officers Magazine,' April 1993, p. 56-57, for the rest of the discussion. An accompanying article, "Gun Control vs Crime Control," starts on page 53. It is a discussion among HCI president Richard M. Aborn, Law Enforcement Steering Committee chairman (for that quarter) Mike Canning, Law Enforcement Alliance of America executive Director Jim Fotis, International Union of Police Associations president Robert B. Kliesmet, NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre, Fraternal Order of Police national president Dewey R. Stokes, and Earl Warren Legal Institute director (and William Simon professor of law at UC Berkeley) Franklin E. Zimring. Dean __ From lvc@cbvox1.att.com Mon Aug 15 05:50:42 1994 To: chan@shell.portal.com Date: Mon, 15 Aug 94 08:42:41 EST Subject: Poll in Law Enforcement Technology July/August 1991 Law Enforcement Technology July/August 1991 FROM THE EDITOR Of those readers responding to the Gun Control Survey questionnaire published in the March issue, 75 percent do not favor gun control legislation. Top management support it to a greater extent, with street officers opposing it by as much as 85%. Many wrote in to this effect, explaining their positions in great detail. We were impressed by the thought-provoking, eloquent letters we received from all over the country. I'd like to share with you some of the most resounding responses. "Gun control does not equal less crime," said many law enforcement professionals. No one is in support of violent crime. Many pointed to places with the strictest laws on the books--Washington and New York--that also have the highest crime rates. "Criminals will always get guns," say our readers, and they will get them as they always do--illegally. One officer suggested a federal law to prevent firearms purchases across state lines. We received a flurry of comments about the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms. The popular view is that the Second Amendment is "clear" and that "any infringement to that right is a blow to freedom." In regard to the wording of the Second Amendment: "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed, " one reader commented that "some people attempt to confuse the issue by melting the sentence together." Quite a few of those polled tempered their response of no limit by recommending that there should be some reasonable limit on firearms, i.e., for mentally unstable persons or convicted felons. "An automobile in the hands of an impaired driver" was a common response to the weapon you feel threatened by most. An inanimate object is nothing to fear but the criminal mind is frightening. Many non-firearms topped the most-feared weapon list including knives, baseball bats and bar glasses. In addition, others wryly suggested lawyers, reporters and congressmen. On a humorous note, one reader wrote: "My guess is that it would work out that an automobile accident is more than 10 times likely to kill you [than a gun]; and by actual statistics heart disease is 16 times more likely to kill you than an automobile accident. You are actually much safer ~an gun control advocates would like you to believe, just by staying away from greasy foods." Another reader summed up the gun control dilemma succinctly by saying, "I think the root of the problem we are facing and now trying to fix with more gun control laws is being overlooked. This root is the family structure and [lack of I morality prevalent in life in America. In the 19th century, the family structure was strong with its own deterrent influence of penalties, etcetera. Today's population . . . tries to legislate the conduct to the point where it restricts the rights of all the citizens." As for alternatives, recommendations for "mandatory imprisonment," "no plea bargaining," and "stiffer penalties" for those using a gun in the commission of a crime, were by far in the lead as popular responses. Other suggestions included "training schools similar to those found in Germany," "gun taxes," and "annual shooting re-qualification." All in all readers contend, it's time to get tough on the criminal not on the law-abiding citizen. Take a look at The Gun Control Survey on page 14.1 think you'll find it interesting and useful. And thanks for all your input. Donna Rogers Executive Editor LAW ENFORCEMENT TECHNOLOGY 445 Broad Hollow Road Suite 21 Melville, NY 11747 516-845-2700 FAX 845-7109 The following article appeared in: Law Enforcement Technology y July/August 1991 75% of law enforcement professionals vehemently oppose gun control, according to the results of a poll of 2,000 police man- agers and street officers. Do you believe a citizen has the constitutional right to bear arms and any limit is an infringement of rights? Do you support a ban on concealed weapons? Do You support a ban on assault weapons? Do you support a waiting period for handgun purchases? Would you be in favor of a background check for firearms purchases if computerized? In your opinion, does gun control lessen crime? The Law Enforcement Technology GUN CONTROL SURVEY Nearly 2,000 of Law Enforcement Technology's 25,000 subscribers have responded to the "Gun Control Survey" published in the March issue of the magazine. Responses to the survey--which may be the only one of its kind--show that 77.4% of the police chiefs, sheriffs, law enforcement top and middle managers and street officers who responded believe citizens have a constitutional right to bear arms and that gun control would infringe on this right. Most cited the 2nd Amendment, and the need for citizens to be able to defend themselves against "criminals, an invading army or a tyrannical government." Overall, the majority of respondents (84.6%) feel that gun control does not lessen crime, and many (78.2%) expressed the opinion that "criminals will always get guns." Most of those who commented on the question agreed with one respondent, who noted, "Gun control will only affect those who abide by the law. Criminals, by their very nature, do not abide by laws--they break them." Of those responding, 21.1% were chiefs, sheriffs or top management; 37.1% were middle management; and 41.8% were street officers. All three groups were overwhelmingly against a ban on assault weapons (78.7%), and 92.9% felt that handguns should be used by private citizens for personal protection. A ban on concealed weapons was supported by only 37.5%, with those against it (62.5%) concluding, "it's too restrictive," and "punishes the good majority for the acts of a few." Respondents repeatedly pointed out that gun control laws "don't address the real issue of crime--the criminal," and many asserted the need for "enforcement of existing laws" and "mandatory jail sentences" with "no plea bargaining." Survey participants questioned "Why are lawmakers afraid of tough sentences?" and many asserted the need to limit paroles, and curtail probation and work release programs. Of those surveyed, 78.5% are in favor of a computerized background check on those purchasing firearms. "This system could work, but only if we had a national computer clearinghouse shared state to state," said one officer. (But only 44.2% support a waiting period prior to handgun purchases, because "criminals have no waiting period.") Although the survey was brief and concise, many of those who filled it out felt so strongly about the subject of gun control that they expanded their responses into lengthy letters--detailing the reasons they are against it. In general, those surveyed felt that efforts to restrict gun control have not been successful in the past and they pointed out that some of the states with the strictest gun statutes have high crime rates anyway. Whether laws restrict gun purchases or not, they said, guns are still available illegally on the street. "When Cain killed Abel, I don't think he used an AK-47. Crime will happen, weapon or not," said one respondent. But others felt stiffer penalties, mandatory sentences and enforcement of "hundreds of gun laws " already on the books could help deter crime. Overall, they said, the answer is gun control by stiffer enforcement. not more gun control legislation. Compiled by the LET.staff and Horizon Research, Inc. July/August 1991- Law Enforcement Technology