Why is support for gun control at record lows?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
More Americans are against gun control than ever before.
Gallup's annual crime poll shows support for various gun-control measures at historic lows - including the ban on handguns.
Only 26% of Americans - a record low - now favor a handgun ban; that's down from 60% when Gallup first asked the question in 1959.
Also, the poll shows that for the first time, there's more opposition than support for a ban on semiautomatic handguns or rifles - 53% to 43%.
In 1996, these numbers were nearly reversed. Congress passed a ban on assault rifles in 1994, but the law expired in 2004.
Overall, support for making gun laws "more strict" is at its lowest ever, 43%. As recently as 2007, a majority of Americans favored stricter laws.
* It's worth noting the growing opposition to gun control shows up among all groups.
* Only Democrats, Eastern residents and those without guns in their homes still favor stricter gun laws. And there's not a single group with a majority in favor of the handgun ban.
What's interesting here is Americans are shifting to a more pro-gun stance despite high profile incidents of gun violence - like the Arizona shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others.
Gallup suggests the reasons for this trend don't appear to be related to crime or to an increase in gun ownership.
Instead, pollsters say the trends may reflect a growing acceptance of guns and support for the Second Amendment.
What was it then-candidate Obama said in 2008? That when people in small towns lose their jobs they get bitter and "cling to guns or religion."
Here’s my question to you: Why is support for gun control at record lows?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 4pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
What will the United States be like if there is no middle class?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It's called the middle class squeeze, and if it keeps up, the U.S. might not have a middle class one day soon.
A USA Today analysis of Census data finds there are 150 areas nationwide where the share of income going to the middle class shrank from 2006 to 2010.
Middle class households generally means those making between $21,000 and $100,000 a year. It includes the three-fifths of households sandwiched between the rich and the poor.
Experts say this trend dates back to the 1970s. Back then, 53% of the nation's income went to the middle class. In 2010, it was about 46%.
The recent recession has only made things worse as employers cut jobs and hours, furloughed workers and froze salaries. All the while the value of family assets - like homes and investments - went down.
The scariest part is there doesn't seem to be any relief in sight.
Take, for example, my hometown of Reno, Nevada:
Unemployment is at 14% - up from 4% in 2006; and median income has dropped 10% in the same time. Foreclosures are among the highest in the country.
In order to make ends meet, many middle class Americans are cutting back:
Selling off their possessions like cars or furniture, moving in with roommates or family members, cutting cell phones or cable service, shopping at consignment stores, bringing their lunch to work, doing their own household repairs, and cutting back on their 401K contributions.
A sad statement on the middle class that helped build this great country.
Here’s my question to you: What will the United States be like if there is no middle class?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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