Stronger Gun Laws: The Next Women’s Issue?

With women deciding the election for Obama, a gap on stronger gun laws could be a defining issue in elections to come. Pew notes men are divided as to whether Obama’s proposed gun policies are “about right” or “go too far,” while a plurality of women (41 percent) feel the policy package is about right.

— Margie Omero, Democratic pollster, president of Momentum Analysis

By Margie Omero, The Huffington Post

Close followers of my blog posts (hi Mom!) know I’ve written extensively about how support for stronger gun laws is actually less controversial than the press reports might lead you to believe. And crosstabs suggest something driving the dissension that does exist: a gender gap that transcends party lines.

Women more supportive of stronger gun laws, broadly

Women are more likely than men to support stronger gun laws, even before any specific gun laws are described. In the Post-Newtown climate, all major outlets releasing data by gender show a nearly identical pattern. CBS/New York Times shows a gender gap of +14 points for support for “more strict” gun laws (women: 61 percent “more strict”). And Democratic-leaning outlet PPP shows a similar +16 point gap in support for “Congress passing stricter gun laws” (women: 61 percent support). Pew also shows a 13-point gender gap in support for “controlling gun ownership” over “protecting the right of Americans to own a gun” (women: 57 percent “control gun ownership”).

Read the rest of the story at huffingtonpost.com