Poll: Parkland Protests Had No Effect on Public Opinion

gun control polling
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student David Hogg adresses the crowd during the March For Our Lives rally against gun violence in Washington, DC on March 24, 2018. Galvanized by a massacre at a Florida high school, hundreds of thousands of Americans are expected to take to the streets in cities across the United States on Saturday in the biggest protest for gun control in a generation. / AFP PHOTO / JIM WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

While there are some renewed calls for gun control after any mass public shooting, none were quite as strong as those after the Valentine’s Day massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School. A band of student activists who survived the shooting founded the “March for our Lives,” and received seemingly endless media coverage from a sympathetic press.

Over 1.2 million people attended their March in Washington, D.C. and other cities nationwide, in what was one of the largest youth-led protests since the Vietnam War era. It received massive celebrity support, including George and Amal Clooney, Oprah Winfrey, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg, Jimmy Fallon, Paul McCartney, Kanye West, John Legend, Taylor Swift, Cher, and many others.

It all certainly gave the impression that this time, things were different, and the tide of public opinion had reached an inflection point on gun control. But then again, the media is great at giving whatever impression they want. While many did rally against guns, what we witnessed with the “March for our Lives” movement is a mobilization of people who were already against guns. In other words, they didn’t convert anyone over to their side.

It’s showing up in the polling. According to the Daily Wire:

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found that the concerted effort of gun control activists, headed up by Parkland student activists, has created “little lasting impact” on public perception of gun laws.

Three months after the horrific mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 people dead, Americans’ perspective on gun control has “faded” back to pre-Parkland levels, Reuters reports.

“The poll found that 69 percent of American adults supported strong or moderate regulations or restrictions for firearms, down from 75 percent in late March, when the first poll was conducted following the Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland,” Reuters reports. “The new poll numbers are virtually unchanged from pre-Parkland levels.”

Reuters notes that the recent poll was conducted before the May 18 shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas that left 10 people dead, including 8 students.

And despite the obvious surge in anti-gun activism (even if it was by people who were already anti-gun), that’s been dwarfed by Americans who want more guns. Nearly 90% of gun-related hiring in the month following Parkland increased the supply of guns, either directly (such as employment at a gun manufacturer, or gun store) or directly (such as at a pro-gun activist group). (RELATED: Six Facts On Gun Control That Prove Liberals Are Totally Wrong).

gun control polling

Maybe next time.

Are you surprised Americans’ opinions on guns have not changed following the Parkland protests? Share your thoughts below! 

By Matt

Matt is the co-founder of Unbiased America and a freelance writer specializing in economics and politics. He’s been published... More about Matt

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