NEW POLL SHOWS OVERWHELMING SUPPORT IN OHIO – INCLUDING AMONG GUN OWNERS – FOR FIXING GUN BACKGROUND CHECK SYSTEM

As FixGunChecks.org Mobile Truck Campaign Reaches Ohio’s Capitol, Bipartisan Survey Demonstrates Broad Consensus for Closing Loopholes that Enable Dangerous People to Buy Guns

85 Percent of Ohioans and 80 Percent of Gun Owners Would Require All Gun Buyers to Pass a Background Check -- No Matter Where They Buy the Gun and No Matter Who They Buy it From

Ohioans Strongly Oppose Current Proposals to Weaken Gun Laws, Including Allowing Guns in Bars and Allowing People Convicted of Certain Drug Crimes to Own or Carry Guns

Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bipartisan coalition of more than 550 of the nation's mayors, today announced the results of a statewide poll showing that Ohioans strongly support a sensible approach to gun laws that protects Second Amendment rights while also keeping criminals and other dangerous people from buying firearms. The poll demonstrates that 85% of Ohioans and 80% of Ohio gun owners support background checks for all gun sales.

“Ohioans overwhelmingly agree that we must fix the gaps in our background check system in order to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people,” said the Ohio Chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “Ohio citizens want their lawmakers to get to work on behalf of the vast majority of people who want common-sense reforms, rather than wasting time on proposals to loosen gun laws that very few people support."

 “In a swing state like Ohio, you can find a lot of 51-to-49 poll results,” said pollster Margie Omero of Momentum Analysis, which conducted the survey.  "But our poll today shows Ohioans are united, rather than divided, on many gun proposals. These results show a broad consensus—even among gun owners—behind proposals to reform the federal gun background checks system to make it complete, accurate and universally applied.”

“As a veteran and a gun owner, I’ve always believed that law-abiding Americans have a fundamental constitutional right to own guns and use them for sport and self protection," said Iraq War Veteran and former Congressional Candidate, Paul Hackett.  "But I believe just as strongly that this right doesn’t apply to criminals, people with dangerous mental illness or drug abusers.  That’s why we need a background check system that works. And today’s poll proves that the vast majority of my fellow Ohioans agree.”

“My family knows firsthand what can happen when guns fall into the hands of the wrong person,” said Ms. Gonnie Goins who lost her son Derick in a robbery in 2004.  “This is why we must close the loopholes and fill in the gaps in our federal background check system so that others won’t experience the tragedy that my family has experienced.”

The announcement arrives one week into the coalition’s Nationwide Drive to Fix Gun Checks, a campaign featuring a mobile billboard truck that tolls the tragic count of Americans who have been murdered with guns since the Tucson shooting. As part of the national campaign, mayors across the country are holding events with 34 victims of gun crime who symbolize the 34 Americans murdered with guns every day.  Philadelphia’s Mayor Nutter held an event last Friday, and Columbus, Ohio’s Mayor Michael B. Coleman will stand with 34 victims tonight in his State of the City speech.  The two-month truck tour is part of an online campaign, www.fixgunchecks.org. To date, more than 250,000 Americans have signed petitions to fix gun background checks, including more than 6,000 Ohioans.

Ohioans Overwhelmingly Support Government Information Sharing and Getting Every Record into the Background Check System

• 93 percent of Ohioans and 93 percent of gun owners support requiring federal agencies to share information with each other about suspected dangerous persons or terrorists, in order to prevent them from buying guns.
• 82 percent of Ohioans and 84 percent of gun owners support full funding for the law Congress passed after the Virginia Tech shooting to prevent people with a history of mental illness from buying guns -- but has never fully funded.

Ohioans Support Closing Gaps in Background Checks

• 85 percent of Ohioans and 80 percent of gun owners support requiring all gun buyers to pass a criminal background check, no matter where they buy the gun and no matter who they buy it from.

Ohioans Support Tougher Enforcement of Existing Gun Laws

• 82 percent of Ohioans and 79 percent of gun owners support fully enforcing gun laws currently on the books.

Ohioans Strongly Oppose Current Proposals to Weaken Gun Laws

• 71 percent of Ohioans and 73 percent of gun owners oppose changing current law to allow people convicted of certain drug crimes to own or carry guns.
• 80 percent of Ohioans and 77 percent of gun owners oppose proposals to allow the carrying of guns in bars, clubs and other establishments that serve alcohol.

The survey of 600 registered voters was conducted by Momentum Analysis. Interviews were conducted from February 17 through February 21, 2011. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.

The Momentum Analysis poll questionnaire and responses are available here:  http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/ohiopollQA

The Momentum Analysis poll slides are available here:  http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/ohiopollslides

About Momentum Analysis

Momentum Analysis is a Washington, DC-based polling firm serving Democratic candidates and progressive organizations.  Its clients include the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, EMILY’s List, the National Education Association, and candidates for office from City Council to US Senate.  In 2010, the firm’s bipartisan work on Walmart moms defined and described that swing voting bloc.  President Margie Omero is also a Huffington Post/pollster.com blogger.

About Mayors Against Illegal Guns

Since its inception in April 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from 15 mayors to over 550. Mayors Against Illegal Guns has united the nation’s mayors around these common goals: protecting their communities by holding gun offenders and irresponsible gun dealers accountable, demanding access to trace data that is critical to law enforcement efforts to combat illegal gun trafficking, and working with legislators to fix gaps, weaknesses and loopholes in the law that make it far too easy for criminals and other prohibited purchasers to get guns.