Pennsylvania’s Gun Control Paradox Puts Voters, Legislature on Opposite Sides

By

Image via Time magazine.

Despite the majority of registered voters in Pennsylvania supporting some additional gun regulation, the legislature has failed to act on even the least controversial measures, write Dr. G. Terry Madonna and Dr. Michael Young for City and State Pennsylvania.

This is not for a lack of options, as scores of gun control measures keep getting introduced into the legislation with no result. Some of this paralysis is explained by interest-group politics, with the NRA still the state’s most powerful lobby.

Political party differences from recent polling data are another reason for the legislature’s failure to act on the issue. The data showed that while nearly one of every three Pennsylvanians owns a gun, only one in five Democrats have one.

[uam_ad id=”52851″]

Advertisement

More than eight of 10 Democrats favor additional regulation, while only half of Republicans do. The differences are stark, with more than nine of 10 self-described liberals advocating for more gun regulation, compared to fewer than four of 10 conservatives.

This polarization along party and ideological grounds also goes well beyond gun control issues, and helps explain the legislature’s failure to adopt even the simplest measures.

Read more about gun control from City and State Pennsylvania by clicking here.

[uam_ad id=”58329″]

Join Our Community

Never miss a Delaware County story!

"*" indicates required fields

Hidden
DT Yes
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Advertisement