Ohio Voters Favor Assault Weapons Ban

Ohio voters favor a ban on military-style assault weapons by a margin of 53 percent to 44 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Friday.

Not surprisingly, the poll of 1,011 registered voters taken in late February also found that 60 percent of gun owners who responded in the survey are opposed to any ban on such weapons.

At the same time, Ohio voters appear to be overwhelmingly supportive of a less divisive gun issue, with 90 percent of respondents saying they favor background checks for all gun purchases, including at gun shows.

The Quinnipiac survey also revealed that 57 percent of Buckeye State respondents believe that gun ownership makes people safer rather than less safe. In addition, the poll found that Ohioans believe the National Rifle Association better reflects their own views on guns than President Barack Obama.

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“On gun policy, public opinion might be seen as a paradox,” said Quinnipiac assistant polling director Peter A. Brown. “Voters overwhelmingly favor background checks for those buying guns and want to ban assault weapons and ammunition clips with more than 10 bullets — positions that are in opposition to those espoused by the NRA.

“Yet, they see the NRA more in tune with their views on gun policy than President Barack Obama, who favors background checks and bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,” Brown added.

“Moreover, on the key question of whether guns make society safer or less safe, by almost 2-1 voters see them as making society safer. Asked whether they would favor stricter gun control laws, 41 percent say yes, while 11 percent say they should be made less strict and 44 percent say existing laws are about right.”

On other issues, the survey found:

• Ohio voters disapprove of Obamacare overall by a margin of 48 percent to 39 percent. But at the same time, 48 percent favor expanding the Medicaid program in the state to include more recipients, compared to 42 percent, who do not favor an expansion.
• State voters appear to be almost evenly divided in their opinions of President Obama, with 48 percent saying they like the job he’s doing and 47 percent saying they don’t. General views of the president were similarly split, with 49 percent saying they like him personally and 46 percent saying they don’t care for him.
• By a margin of 48 percent to 42 percent, voters do not favor Gov. John Kasich’s plan to reduce the state income tax and expand the state sales tax on certain items.
• And 58 percent of survey respondents said they approve of imposing a new tax on companies drilling for oil and natural gas in the state.